Plant derived or derivable material with appetite suppressing activity
A method of suppressing or curbing appetite and treating or preventing obesity comprising administering to a human or other mammal in need of such treatment an effective amount of plant material derived or derivable from plants of the genera Stapelia and Orbea.
1 . A method of suppressing appetite in a mammal in need thereof which comprises administering to said mammal a therapeutically effective amount of a plant material from a plant of the genus Orbea.
2 . A method of controlling obesity in a mammal in need thereof which comprises administering to said mammal a therapeutically effective amount of a plant material from a plant of the genus Orbea.
3 . A method of promoting weight loss or maintenance of a desired body weight in a mammal in need thereof which comprises administering to said mammal a therapeutically effective amount of a plant material from a plant of the genus Orbea.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said plant is Orbea variegata.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said plant material is sap, a concentrate, an extract, a fraction or an active compound from said plant.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said plant material comprises a therapeutically effective amount of at least one saponin.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said plant material comprises a therapeutically effective amount of a stavaroside, wherein said stavaroside is stavaroside A, stavaroside B or stavaroside C.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein stavaroside is stavaroside C.
9 . The method of claim 5 , wherein said plant material is derived from a process comprising treating said plant material with an alcohol-based solvent.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein said alcohol based solvent is ethanol.
11 . A composition for suppressing appetite in a mammal comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a plant material from a plant of the genus Orbea.
12 . The composition of claim 11 , wherein said plant material is sap, a concentrate, an extract, a fraction or an active compound from said plant.
13 . The composition of claim 11 , further comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
14 . The composition of claim 11 , further comprising a nutritionally acceptable carrier.
15 . The composition of claim 12 , wherein said plant material is from about 1-100 g dry weight of said plant material per unit dose of said composition.
16 . A method of preparing an appetite suppressing fraction of a plant of a genus, said genus being Orbea , comprising:
a) drying and grinding a plant material from said plant to a coarse powder;
b) extracting said powder with a solvent to form an extract;
c) fractionating said extract into a plurality of fractions;
d) concentration or drying said fractions; and
e) selecting from said fractions any fraction effective for suppressing appetite.
17 . A composition prepared by the method of claim 16 .
18 . The composition of claim 16 , wherein said solvent is ethanol.