Notopterygium extract (NRE) may be an effective alternative to weight-loss synthetic drugs to address obesity challenges. The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted by Tunisian and Japanese researchers and the results were published in the journal Nutrition. A total of 68 overweight and obese women were recruited into the trial, and participants were asked to take either a placebo or a concave leaf white spurge extract (2,000 mg/day) for 12 consecutive weeks.
The results of the study showed that “participants experienced a decrease in body fat and a corresponding increase in body water and muscle mass following NRE intake, suggesting that white spurge extract may be able to reduce body weight, shrink waist circumference and lower body mass index (BMI).”
The World Obesity Map 2023 shows that by 2035, more than half of the world's population or more than 4 billion people may suffer from overweight and obesity. For severe obesity, traditional treatments are usually medical or surgical interventions. Given the potential side effects of drugs, researchers have begun to explore the use of medicinal plants as an alternative. Studies have found that polyphenols in plants, such as flavonoids and phenolic acids, regulate various elements in the body and have weight loss properties. NRE has been shown to have anticancer, antioxidant, antiviral and antimicrobial properties, as well as reducing fat accumulation and regulating intracellular lipid metabolism, which has great potential for weight loss.
A previous clinical trial also validated the safety and tolerability of NRE. Participants in this trial included overweight/obese patients and healthy individuals who took NRE tea for 10 consecutive days as required. The results of the trial showed that NRE tea regulated participants' high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides (TG), and that overweight and obese participants experienced a decrease in blood lipids within a short period of time after taking NRE tea daily. Meanwhile, overweight and obese participants demonstrated a dose-dependency. However, information from studies on concave leaf white spurge remains limited.
Obese patients between the ages of 20 and 75 with a BMI greater than 25 kg/m2 were recruited as participants for this study. The researchers boiled 2,000 milligrams of dried, crushed leaves of concave-leaf white spurge in 100 milliliters of boiling water for 15 minutes, and subsequently prepared an NRE powder. Participants took either a placebo or the NRE powder as required. The researchers measured the participants' weight, BMI, body composition, and anthropometric parameters, and assessed the participants' lipid profile and safety assessment parameters at baseline and after 12 weeks of the trial, respectively.
Participants in the NRE group lost an average of 2.27 kilograms of weight at the end of the trial period compared to the placebo group. The most significant weight loss was seen in younger participants with a BMI greater than 30, with a weight loss of 3.34 ± 0.93 kg. There was also a significant decrease in BMI and body fat, as well as a significant increase in body water content and defatted body weight/body fat ratio (LBM/BF) in the NRE group compared to the placebo group.
In this regard, Dr. Laouani explained, “The reduction in triglyceride levels in the NRE group compared to the placebo group suggests that NRE may be able to positively impact the lipid profile of overweight/obese participants. In addition to this, NRE also demonstrated lipid-lowering efficacy, with participants in the NRE group experiencing a decrease in blood lipids after daily administration of NRE compared to the placebo group. This suggests that the bioactive components in NRE contribute to weight loss and improve body composition, anthropometric parameters and lipid profile.”