Harvard University Study: Is China's Lei Gongto a panacea for obesity? Translation

scientists have been searching the world for a variety of magical plants that can help people lose weight in recent decades. As the market for weight loss products and supplements has developed into a multibly-dollar industry, they have considered dandelions, coffee and nuts, among others. They have been cultivating carnivorable plants called
caralluma fimbriata
, which Indian tribal men chew to control their hunger during a day's hunting. And they've been trying to separate and extract a substance from an African plant shaped like a nail-shaped kimchi called
hoodia
, which will make you feel full even if you haven't eaten yet.but in earlier studies, no plant was more promising than the one known in Traditional Chinese medicine as Lei Gongto.in a paper published Thursday in the journal
Cell
, scientists say the plant's extract reduced food intake and significantly reduced the weight of obese mice by
45
percent.
Scientists: The two commercial weight-loss programs work bestthe study's author,
Omut Ozcan
, an endocrinologist at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, said the substance appears to boost fat cell secretion of a hormone called leptin, which sends signals to the body when it gets enough fuel and energy. People who lack leptin can wolf down and become morbidly obese."

has made many efforts over the past two decades to break down leptin resistance to treat obesity, but these efforts have failed," Ozcan
said in a statement. The study shows that there is still hope for leptin to work.
”In the study, Ozcan
found that mice treated with
-
, which they called
Celastrol
-
, had a
80 percent reduction in food intake compared to
mice that had not been treated with Regongto
extract. Three weeks later, the mice weighed only half their original body weight.results are even more effective than the extreme weight-loss methods used in the past: bariatric surgery. In addition, the scientists reported that they found other positive health effects, such as lowering cholesterol levels and improving liver function.the team did not find any toxic effects of the extract on mice, the researchers strongly caution that more research is needed to prove that the compound is safe for human health.Ozcan
said:
"
Although
Celastrol
(Ray Gongto erythroline) in the roots of Leigongto is very small, but the roots and flowers of the plant have many other compounds. So it can still be dangerous to human health.
”