Gentlemen, Start Your Engines…

Last week, we kicked off our Mardi Gras Sweepstakes in New Orleans, where they’re still fired up after winning Super Bowl XLIV. (The Biotropics Rejuvenation Station at Maxim’s Mardi Gras Mansion event was a big hit among men and women, who waited to get free massages while the Maxim models in Biotropics tanks kept them entertained with free TenagaXX samples.) 

But beyond the beads and babes, Mardi Gras is about celebrating everything you love about life. So we thought we’d help you start this Tuesday off with some tips for giving your girl a little TLC (courtesy of our friends at Maxim):

1. Treat massages like scheduled tune-ups—not 100,000-mile checkups!

2. Warm a quarter-size amount of (massage, not motor) oil in your hands.

3. Vary your pressure from gentle to firm.

4. Pay special attention to her shoulder blades and the back of her neck.

5. She’ll be ready to accelerate!

P.S. Don’t forget to enter here for a chance to win an energizing massage package…the contest ends March 8! Think of it as a gift to your girl. Who knows...maybe she’ll return the favor next year and buy you Super Bowl XLV tickets?

The 3 R's of Ramuan

What IS Ramuan? We get this question a lot.  In fact, we could write an entire book about Ramuan (Gerard Bodeker did—it's called, "Health and Beauty from the Rainforest"). In the simplest terms, Ramuan is a carefully selected blend of plants and botanicals, many of which have been gathered from the rainforest. In the Malay language, ramuan means synergistic blending and is the term of choice to represent Malaysia’s unique health and wellness practices.  

Here are three easy-to-remember elements about the practice, or as we like to call it, "The 3 R's of Ramuan":     

1. Rainforest - The key to unlocking Ramuan’s Malaysian rainforest secrets is the herbs. Potent herbs and botanicals such as tongkat ali and ubi jaga, for example, have traditionally enhanced ongoing vitality, vigor, balance, and overall wellness. These ingredients can be used in modern day cooking, medicine, drinks or food. 

2. Remedies - The beauty of Ramuan is that you don't have to look any further than your garden or kitchen to clean your hair and body, or find remedies for common ailments. For example, a natural facial scrub could be created using a mix of rice, cekur, sandalwood, ginger, jerangau, and a hint of rose water; while an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory drink consisting of ginger, lemongrass, jerangau and other herbs might be used as a remedy for post-partum depression.

 

3. Regimen - Traditional Malay healing focuses on attuning the body's energies with the rhythms of nature. It's about creating a holistic lifestyle regimen for mind/body/soul balance. It’s about wellness from the inside, out.  

The concepts of Ramuan have inspired Biotropics’ holistic health and beauty products, which are ideal for people who don’t have the time to grow these ingredients in their garden or have access to these rare herbs at their local natural foods market. For more info, we’ve also included a list of helpful links right here on this blog. And of course, don’t forget to check back with us at Living Ramuan. We will be sharing practical ways to blend Ramuan into your daily routine each week!

Re-Energizing in 2010

Yes, it’s been quiet in the world of Ramuan over the past couple of months…but that’s because we have been working behind the scenes to re-energize our digital community. In just a few short weeks, you will see the real fruits of our labor: a revitalized blog called “Living Ramuan,” a Facebook Fan page with new features and applications, and an expanded Twitter presence intended to encourage more intimate interactions with people…well… like you! Two exciting new sites for our men’s and women’s products (tenagapower.com) and (ramuanasmara.com) are already up and running. In March, you’ll also see a recharged website (ramuanusa.com).

We’re already feeling pretty energized for the year ahead. The New Year seems like the perfect time to make positive life changes, and we can’t think of a better way to usher in 2010 than by changing along with you!

New Biotropics Ramuan Health Products Coming in November '09

Natural Products Expo East in Boston marked the launch of the newest Ramuan Health products. Look for them in November '09.

Video of performers from the Book Launch in Kuala Lumpur

Health & Beauty from the Rainforest: Book Event at Akasha in L.A.

Joerg Gruenwald, Zurinawati Zainal Abidin and Gerard Bodeker—all editors of the new book Health & Beauty from the Rainforest: Malaysian Traditions of Ramuan—gathered at Akasha to promote the book and educate comsumers about the Malaysian lifestyle.

Launch of Malaysian Wellness and Beauty Book, Product Line and Ramuan Lifestyle Reaches Over 122,000,000 Americans

-- United States Welcomed Biotropics Malaysia with Press and Book Signings across the Country --

New York, NY - July 31, 2009 - This July marked the United States launch of a ramuan product line by Malaysian-based Biotropics that features spa and ingestible wellness products and an accompanying book, Health and Beauty from the Rainforest: Malaysian Traditions of Ramuan. As part of an overarching media outreach and consumer education campaign, the U.S. launch kicked off with a week-long tour featuring the book’s editor-in-chief and co-authors: Professor Gerard Bodeker, senior faculty member in public health at Oxford University and adjunct professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University; co-author Dr. Joerg Gruenwald, leading medical scientist and clinical researcher; and Zurinawati Zainal Abidin, co-editor and contributor to the book on Malaysian traditions; and Professor Hood Salleh, an Oxford-trained cultural anthropologist and authority on the traditions of Malaysia’s indigenous peoples, the orang asli. Within a few short weeks, ramuan has caught the attention of a wide range of media and consumers, building strong momentum for a nationwide curiosity of Malaysian traditions and interest in the ramuan lifestyle.

With the authors traveling in from abroad, the U.S. launch tour commenced with a private spa-inspired media event at the trendy Library Hotel in New York City, giving prominent editors, journalists, producers and freelance writers the chance to taste, feel and experience ramuan, and learn about Malaysian health and beauty first-hand from the book’s co-authors. As part of the nation-wide campaign, the Biotropics team traveled to key U.S. markets, including Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, setting a solid foundation for the book and products with well-attended book signings and a second media event in Los Angeles at the popular AKASHA Restaurant. Throughout the week the authors engaged in radio, print and television interviews at leading outlets including WNBC-TV, PBS, The New York Times Magazine, Shape magazine, Teen Vogue, Natural Health magazine, NPR, Martha Stewart Living Radio, HealthRadioNetwork.com, and more. Overall, the program reached an audience of over 122,000,000 through a combination of press releases, print, television and radio programming.

“Until now, Americans have had little understanding of Malaysian culture beyond the country’s natural beauty and I am grateful for having had the opportunity to introduce the concept of ramuan to them,” says Editor-in-Chief of the book, Professor Gerard Bodeker. “The success of this launch demonstrates that Americans are eager for a lifestyle change and I look forward to the continued spread of Malaysian beauty and wellness traditions in the United States.”

“By researching and documenting this ancient lifestyle tradition, we were able to develop a unique line of products that will facilitate incorporating ramuan principles into the American lifestyle,” said Dr. Joerg Gruenwald, Chief Scientific Officer of Biotropics and co-editor of the book. Drawing on years of research, the new book landed on U.S. shelves this month revealing the best of Malaysia’s rich knowledge in promoting health, enhancing beauty and creating vigor throughout a person’s life. Members of the Biotropics team will return to the United States this fall to attend Expo East Natural Product Trade Show in Boston to further cultivate the concept of ramuan and exhibit the spa and supplement products.

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About Biotropics Malaysia Berhad
Biotropics US Inc. (Ramuan.com) is the exclusive distributor of Biotropics Malaysia Berhad products. Biotropics Malaysia was founded with the mission of popularizing Malaysian herbal traditions and respecting time-honored ingredients. International sourcing of manufacturing and packaging facilities in Malaysia, Germany and the US enables Biotropics to utilize specialized resources to assure consistency and quality.

Biotropics is dedicated to the responsible manufacture and distribution of Malaysia’s treasured herbal health & beauty aids. Biotropics staff is united by a common desire to see Malaysia’s rich herbal traditions made available to the world, using natural ingredients responsibly harvested.