Tongbi-san can be used to treat obesity, thanks to its ability to inhibit adipogenesis in the liver

Researchers from Sangji University in South Korea investigated the effects of a traditional medicine known as tongbi-san on obesity. The results of their study were published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

• Tongbi-san contains three herbs, nut grass (Cyperus rotundus L.), satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu), and China root (Poria cocos).
• The researchers tested tongbi-san’s ability to inhibit adipogenesis in the liver and epididymal adipose tissue of obese mice.
• To induce obesity, they fed mice with a high-fat diet for 11 weeks.
• Some mice also received orlistat or tongbi-san, while others did not receive any treatment.
• The researchers measured the mice’s weight every week and performed histological tissue examinations at the end of the observation period. They also assessed the expression of genes involved in adipogenesis.
• The researchers reported that oral supplementation of tongbi-san dramatically reduced the mice’s body weight and reduced epididymal and visceral white adipose tissue weight.
• It also increased the expression of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and inhibited the expression of transcription factors in the liver and epididymal white adipose tissue.
• These results indicated that tongbi-san treatment could inhibit adipogenesis by regulating lipid accumulation and adipogenic-related factors in obese mice.

Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that tongbi-san has an inhibitory effect on adipogenesis and may be used as a treatment for obesity.

Visit FightObesity.news to learn more about other alternative treatments for obesity.

Read the full study at this link.

Journal Reference:

Park YJ, Lee GS, Cheon SY, Cha YY, An HY. THE ANTI-OBESITY EFFECTS OF TONGBI-SAN IN A HIGH-FAT DIET-INDUCED OBESE MOUSE MODEL. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 3 January 2019;19:1. DOI: 10.1186/s12906-018-2420-5