New Study: Forsythia Extract Helps Improve Bone Health

Forsythia is traditional herbal medicine. The main biologically active ingredient in Forsythia extract is hypericin, which has the functions of healing wounds, diuresis, relieving neuralgia, etc. It also has antiviral effects.

In the latest study, it was found that forsythia extract inhibited osteoclast differentiation and inhibited estrogen deficiency-induced bone loss and lipid accumulation in the bone marrow.

To measure bone loss, the researchers performed histological analyses of the femurs, as well as the bone marrow of the mice. They observed compactness and thickening of cancellous bone in mice supplemented with forsythia extract compared with mice not supplemented with the extract, suggesting that the extract attenuates bone loss induced by ovariectomy independent of estrogen.

Natural plant extracts are gaining interest for their potential to improve bone health in osteoporosis patients and healthy individuals, and the results of this study provide positive evidence that forsythia extract can be an effective treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis.