Shaman Offers Free Trial Opportunity for a Safe and Effective Alternative for Diarrhea.

Business Editors and Health/Medical Writers

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Sept. 7, 2000

Shaman Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB:SHPH.OB) today announced that in light of the recent letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting that the FDA remove the drug alosetron from the market, Shaman is offering a free trial of their new product, Normal Stool Formula-IB (NSF-IB).

In a letter dated August 31, 2000 to Jane Henney, M.D., Commissioner of the FDA, a Public Citizen consumer interest organization, requested that the FDA immediately pull alosetron (Lotronex, Glaxo Wellcome), a drug used to treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), off the market because of safety concerns (citizen.org/hrg/PUBLICATIONS/1533.htm). According to information Public Citizen received from the FDA, alosetron has been associated with at least 26 cases of ischemic colitis, seven of which occurred in clinical trials and the other 19 within the first six months the drug has been on the market. Ischemic colitis results when a lack of blood flow to the colon leads to death of bowel tissue, an event that can require surgery to correct. More than one-third of the cases occurred in women between 20 and 50 years of age.

Shaman's NSF-IB is a natural dietary supplement containing a standardized extract from the sap of the Croton lechleri tree and has been safely used for thousands of years by traditional peoples in rainforest areas. Based on its mechanism of action, NSF-IB is safe and effective for control of diarrhea without interacting with other medications or causing constipation. Consumers have reported using NSF-IB safely for more than 12 consecutive months at a time. A yearlong study performed at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center assessed the long-term safety and efficacy of the NSF extract. Published results showed that even in subjects who continued daily use for over 10 months, no serious adverse events or significant laboratory changes were attributable to the product.

Shaman is extending an offer to individuals who send a receipt for any over-the-counter treatment for watery diarrhea or a copy of their prescription from a physician, to Shaman and the company will send a free sample of NSF-IB. For more information about the product visit www.NSF-IB.com, or call 1-800-987-9920.

Shaman Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a leader in medicinal plant research and commercialization of proprietary dietary supplements. Shaman works collaboratively with indigenous communities to discover, harvest and reforest medicinal plants. The Company also provides cultural educational programs in conjunction with rainforest communities.

This press release contains, among other things, certain statements of a forward-looking nature relating to Shaman's ability to advance its development and research programs. Such statements involve a number of risk and uncertainties including the Risk Factors listed in the Shaman Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10K and 10K/A for the year ended December 31, 1999. These filings are available upon request at 650/952-7070. Also visit Shaman at http://www.Shaman.com.