Chinese Herb Compound Combats Fat

Utilized as a traditional Chinese medicine for over 2000 years, berberine is a compound derived from the Chinese medicinal plant Coptis chinensis. Guang Ning, from Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine (China), and colleagues administered berberine every three days for a month, to laboratory obese mice.  Berberine was observed to increase energy expenditure, limit weight gain, improve cold tolerance and enhance brown adipose tissue activity. The study authors submit that: “Our findings establish a role for [berberine] in regulating organismal energy balance, which may have potential therapeutic implications for the treatment of obesity.