Research & Development

Naturally Nova Scotia is not content to rest on the numerous achievements we have made to date. We have a continuous commitment to the development and advancement of quality botanicals.

Our main focus of research is to bridge the gap between modern scientific knowledge of phyto-medicine and conventional medicine. Projects dedicated to optimal shelf life, efficacy, and quality of traditional medicines are a high priority for Naturally Nova Scotia, as these endeavors will stand to benefit not only the herbal consumer but also the Industry as a whole.

In addition, there are several ongoing studies relating to shelf life & stability, dosage & efficacy, standardization, quality control, as well as microbial reduction.

Dr. Charles Hu, PhD - Director, Research & Development

Dr. Charles Hu has led the Research & Development department at Naturally Nova Scotia (NNS) since early 2007. Dr. Hu is a critical member of the NNS team where he leads the development of all new natural health and food products.

Dr. Hu accomplished his PhD on the health benefits of flavonoids in the chrysanthemum flower, including its antioxidant benefit and blood heath attributes. He then joined a team of renowned researchers at the University of British Columbia as a post-doctorate specialist and spent ten (10) years working in the Department of Food Science. The majority of his work involved analyzing the health benefits of natural health products, with a specific focus on herbal and agricultural production; in particular North American Ginseng, Blueberry, Blackberry, Echinacea, and Dandelion.

Dr. Hu was also a senior research scientist for Forbes Medi-Tech for many years where he was responsible for novel functional food ingredient research.

He has more than 30 peer-reviewed research papers to his name and has co-invented two patents.

Marcel Ritter, BSc - Food Scientist, Research & Product Development

Marcel Ritter has been a member of the research team since October 2007 and has been one of the primary researchers involved with developing the tableting process for NNS.

Marcel completed his undergraduate degree in Food Science at Dalhousie University in 2005. He has previous experience in quality control, process analysis and product development. As an avid athlete Marcel has always taken a keen interest in natural health products making NNS an ideal fit for him.

Heather Whyte, BSc - Research & Development Coordinator

Heather has a BSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Dalhousie University. Her initial experience with natural products occurred when she worked on a project isolating antioxidant compounds from Cranberry. This project led to employment with the National Research Council of Canada where she conducted research on Cranberry, Blueberry, Seaweeds, and many herbs including St. John's Wort, Ginkgo Biloba, and Chaste Tree.

As part of the Naturally Nova Scotia team, Heather is responsible for the production of tinctures, managing communication with the Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD), writing product applications, and testing products and ingredients to insure that they meet strict quality standards.