Recipe 2, A Thai Herbal Remedy in Worayokasarn Scripture, for reducing obesity

Abstract

Recipe 2 is a Thai herbal medical remedy for treating obesity in Worayokasarn scripture.  The recipe consists of three plants i.e., Terminalia chebula Retz. (Sa-Mor-Thai) fruits, Cyperus rotundus L. (Hua-Haw-Mhoo) rhizomes, Tinospora crispa (L.) Miers ex Hook. f. & Thomson or Tinospora cordifolia (Thunb.) Miers (Bo-Ra-Pet) vines.¹ The three herbal ingredients of the remedy showed anti-obese effects by reducing lipid accumulation and lipogenesis.  The ethanolic extract of T. chebula fruit decreased lipogenesis in obese mice by reducing fatty acid synthase, increasing fatty acid oxidation through peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors α (PPARα) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT-1).²  After 14 days of treatments, Haritaki or T. chebula at 1.05 and 2.10 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) concentrations reduced total cholesterol (TC) and total triglycerides (TG) in hyperlipidemia-induced Wistar rats with atherogenic diet.³  Majeed M, et. al., presented Piceatannol, Scirpusin A and Scirpusin B in the C. rotundus rhizome extract reduced adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.⁴  450 mg/kg concentrations of aqueous T. crispa extract in 0.5% cholesterol chow diet-inducing New Zealand White rabbits showed effect in reducing blood serum TC, TG and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and increasing high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) level.⁵ After feeding of high fat diet in rats for 12 weeks leading to the development of obesity, the obesity rats receiving T. cordifoliastem powder at 1 mg/g b.w. for 12 weeks subsided body weight, adiposity index, serum cholesterol, and serum triglyceride.⁶

These scientific studies presented anti-obese effect of the herbal ingredients of the remedy by reducing lipid accumulation and serum lipids.  This remedy may be effect to reduce obesity and lipid profile following a Thai traditional medical theory.