Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia. Electronic address:heshamaziz424@yahoo.co.uk
  • 2 Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia
Obes Res Clin Pract, 2010 Oct-Dec;4(4):e247-342.
PMID: 24345689 DOI: 10.1016/j.orcp.2010.07.001

Abstract

Khat (Catha edulis) as well as garlic (Allium sativum) has a potential effect on reducing the lipid contents of blood. However, a mechanism by which garlic or khat reduces plasma lipids has not been fully investigated. This study aimed to investigate the direct action of khat and/or garlic (in vitro). The effects of extracted khat and/or garlic on human blood constituents (cholesterol and triglycerides) and on vegetable oil were investigated. The results showed that aqueous garlic extract was able to form an emulsion with oil but not khat extract. Even though, either khat or garlic extract has slight effect on reducing lipid contents of blood; a higher reduction was obtained when the extracts were added in combination. The mechanism of garlic on reducing lipids could be explained by its emulsifying property, while the mechanism of khat is by lipolysis. In conclusion, the synergistic effect of garlic and khat extracts opened an interesting area for further investigation on their roles in combating cardiovascular and obesity disorders.:

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.