A phytosome is a complex of a natural active ingredient and a

phospholipid Phospholipids, are a class of lipids whose molecule has a hydrophilic "head" containing a phosphate group and two hydrophobic "tails" derived from fatty acids, joined by an alcohol residue (usually a glycerol molecule). Marine phospholipids typ ...

- mostly

lecithin Lecithin (, from the Greek ''lekithos'' "yolk") is a generic term to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues which are amphiphilic – they attract both water and fatty substances (and so ar ...

. It is claimed that phytosome increases absorption of "conventional herbal extracts" or isolated active principles both topically as well as orally. Complexation with phospholipids has been applied to a number of popular herbal extracts and active molecules including

Ginkgo biloba ''Ginkgo biloba'', commonly known as ginkgo or gingko ( ), also known as the maidenhair tree, is a species of tree native to China. It is the last living species in the order Ginkgoales, which first appeared over 290 million years ago. Fossils ...

extract,

bilobalide Bilobalide is a biologically active terpenic trilactone present in ''Ginkgo biloba''. Chemistry Bilobalide is a main constituent of the terpenoids found in Ginkgo leaves. It also exists in minor amounts in the roots. It is a sesquiterpenoid, i. ...

isolated from

silybin Silibinin (INN), also known as silybin (both from ''Silybum'', the generic name of the plant from which it is extracted), is the major active constituent of silymarin, a standardized extract of the milk thistle seeds, containing a mixture of fl ...

isolated from milk thistle (

Silybum marianum ''Silybum marianum'' is a species of thistle. It has various common names including milk thistle, blessed milkthistle, Marian thistle, Mary thistle, Saint Mary's thistle, Mediterranean milk thistle, variegated thistle and Scotch thistle (thou ...

curcumin Curcumin is a bright yellow chemical produced by plants of the ''Curcuma longa'' species. It is the principal curcuminoid of turmeric (''Curcuma longa''), a member of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is sold as a herbal supplement, cosmetic ...

isolated from

turmeric Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asi ...

, and green tea extract (

Camellia sinensis ''Camellia sinensis'' is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree in the flowering plant family Theaceae. Its leaves and leaf buds are used to produce the popular beverage, tea. Common names include tea plant, tea shrub, and tea tree (not to ...

). An attempt to trademark the term in the USA failed on appeal. Legal analysis in the USA held "...Applicant's fatal error, according to the Board, was in using the term as the sole designation for its new product.", At least one dictionary has defined it as "a new term cosmetologists are using for the combination of liposomes ... and plant extracts." Nevertheless, Phytosome - along with Meriva - is a registered trademark of Indena S.p.A. in major countries.

Footnotes

Phospholipids {{marketing-stub