Tests with animals show that a traditional herbal remedy could usher in a cure for obesity and heart disease, according to German scientists.

They believe that the herbal extract could be incorporated into a food supplement which may not only reduce obesity, but also lessen the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.

In a paper delivered at the current meeting of the Society for Experimental Biology in Marseille, France, Dr Nils Roos from the Max Rubner Institute in Germany, says the extract is from Tabebuia impetiginosa, commonly known as Pink Ipe, a deciduous tree, native to Central and South America, and related to magnolias.

Dr Roos and his team have shown that Tabebuia extract can reduce levels of triglycerides, a breakdown product of fat, in rats after they have been fed a fatty meal.

'This result shows the extract may have a potential use in treating obesity,' he writes in the paper.

'However, as coronary heart disease and diabetes have also been shown to be associated with higher triglyceride levels after eating, we believe a food-supplement based on Tabebuia could reduce the incidence of these diseases as well. What is more, as obesity in developing countries is also on the increase, such extracts, taken as a capsule or added to food, may be a cheaper alternative for the rural population to pharmaceuticals, he continued.'

The Tabebuia extract clearly inhibits the absorption of dietary fat. But what the German scientists have not yet figured out is precisely why and how the extract does this.

'The actual substances involved are probably even more active than the extract,' says Dr Roos.

'We are currently in the process of identifying these compounds, and will then test long-term efficiacy and safety in miniature pigs whose physiology is closer to that of humans than rat physiology is, before moving onto human trials,' he adds.

'At this point, we hope to be able to develop the extract, either as a food supplement or in a medicinal context.'

The findings were published in the journal Phytotherapy Research, issued by the Society for Experimental Biology and reported by ScienceDaily.