The (New) Science of Using Phytosubstances for Wellness

Our Name - VIVACE ASSOCIATES

Vivace (vē-vä'chā) comes from 17th century Italian/Latin. It means vivacious or spirited and is a musical term for lively. Vivace also means capable of living a long time, resistant, robust, tenacious and rooted. 

We chose to name our company Vivace Associates because we believe that plant-based substances can contribute to long and healthy lives.

Our Story

Our story begins in Jamaica. As members of the Real Jamaica Team, Vince, Michael, Kadian and Melody have frequently traveled to Jamaica exploring ways to foster cultural and wellness tourism. At the same time, Vince has been writing a longevity blog www.agingsciences.com where over the past five years he has researched the science behind a number of phytosubstances and how they relate to health and disease prevention.

During our trips to Jamaica we noticed most everyone we talked to had a "bush" knowledge of medicinal plants. Jamaica is "awash in ancient herbal remedies" and we were fascinated by how the plant folklore seemed very integrated into the culture. Whether it was the Rastafari living next door, a pharmacist who became an herbalist to better treat her customers, a roots & tonic vendor by the side of the road or a scientist and wellness advocate who is now producing a line of dietary supplements and teas based on his 30 years of research.

We also met with a number of scientists and researchers from the Organic Chemistry Dept., the BioTech Centre and the Natural Products Institute at the University of West Indies-MONA (UWI). We were impressed with their broad scope of research and how this research is applied for health, medicine and the creation of natural products. These departments have been studying the bio-activity of Jamaican plants since 1948 and have catalogued almost 350 plants with medicinal properties. Since 1966, they have also been sponsoring The MONA Symposium, an International Conference on Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry held at UWI bi-annually.

Inspired by the comprehensive research at UWI, the use of medicinal herbs in traditional cultures, as well as the network of scientific communities we have been in touch with through Vince's blog, we decided to create Vivace Associates. Our goal is to apply cutting edge scientific research about the bioactivity of plants and their molecular pathways to healthcare and life-style wellness. Our focus is to work with health care professionals, NGO's, entrepreneurs and government organizations to help them become aware of the science behind plant-based substances (phytosubstances) and how they can integrate this knowledge into their particular field of work.