Scientists develop herb-based anti-obesity medicine

A group of Korean scientists has developed a new herb-based medicine that can help prevent and even cure obesity that has also been proven safe, the science ministry said Thursday.

The medicine uses a mixture of substances extracted from perennial plants that are already familiar to oriental medicine, according to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

The new substance, called POCUb, boosts activities by the AMP-activated protein kinase that dissolves body fat while suppressing the activity of an enzyme, known as phosphodiesterase, that causes the accumulation of body fat.

A series of animal tests showed the effectiveness of the new herbal medicine in both preventing and curing obesity, a leading cause of death throughout the world, the developers from the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine said.

A group of mice treated with the medicine gained up to 61 percent less body weight compared to controlled groups, reflecting the substance's effectiveness in preventing obesity.

A separate test also showed a group of mice injected with the new substance lost up to 84 percent more body weight than those left untreated.

"There has yet to be any significantly effective anti-obesity medicine in the world while those that exist often cause serious side effects, such as depression and even suicide," Kim Jin-sook, the head researcher, was quoted as saying.

"This research shows that we may have found a candidate to become one of the most effective and safest natural anti-obesity treatments." (Yonhap)