Chakunda Cassia tora

Chakunda is a small plant that grows in dry soil in tropical India. It is an Ayurvedic her and also used in Chinese medicine.

Chakunda seeds contain anthraquinones including aurantio-obtusin, chryso-obtusin, obtusin, chryso-obtusin-2-O-beta-D-glucoside, physcion, emodin, chrysophanol, obtusifolin, and obtusifolin-2-O-beta-D-glucoside.

Hypolipidemic effect of soluble fiber isolated from seeds of Cassia tora Linn. ( chakunda ) in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet.
J Agric Food Chem. 2007 February. Division of Food Function Research, Korea Food Research Institute, 46-1 Baekhyun-Dong, Bundang-Gu, Songnam-Si, Kyunggi-Do 463-746, Republic of Korea.
Soluble fibers isolated from the seeds of chakunda have attracted considerable attention in recent years due to their phenomenal rheological behavior. In this study were investigated the effects of chakunda on lipid metabolism. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed one of three experimental diets, a normal diet, a high-cholesterol diet, or a high-cholesterol diet with 5% Cassia tora, for 5 weeks. The serum concentration of total cholesterol in rats fed chakunda was 27% lower compared to that of the control group, but the serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was increased in the chakunda group. Liver total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were reduced significantly in rats fed the  chakunda diet. In addition, fecal bile acid and lipid excretion was significantly increased by chakunda consumption. These results indicate that chakunda enhances fecal lipid excretion and may cause a reduction in serum and hepatic lipid concentrations in rats.

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