Honam Biodiversity Center Secures Core Technology for Brain Health Using Arrowroot Leaf Extract

Proven Effects in Relieving Tension and Enhancing Cognitive Abilities
Accelerating Industrialization of Natural Product-Based Food and Pharmaceuticals

The National Honam Biological Resource Center, under the Ministry of Environment (Director Park Jinyoung), announced on the 21st that it has secured core technology for the industrialization of natural product-based food and pharmaceuticals by proving the brain health improvement effects of kudzu leaf extract.

Kudzu is a perennial vine of the legume family. Traditionally, kudzu leaves have been used in Korea as food, such as in seasoned dishes and wraps, and are known to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic effects.

Perennial climbing plant Kudzu of the Fabaceae family. Provided by the National Honam Biological Resources Center

The research team found that high concentrations of kudzu leaf extract help relieve tension, and that the social cognitive abilities of the experimental group treated with active ingredients derived from kudzu leaf extract improved to levels similar to the normal group.

In addition, they have secured production technology for high-quality kudzu leaf extract using standardized manufacturing processes and analytical methods, and registered a patent related to mental health improvement compositions containing kudzu leaf extract as an active ingredient in January of this year.

This core technology was developed through a research project at the National Honam Biological Resource Center and the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute (Ministry of Environment) as part of the multi-ministerial National Biological Resource Advancement Project, "Securing Island-Specialized Wild Biological Materials and Establishing a Usability Information System." Follow-up research will continue to promote the industrial application of the core technology.

Director Park Jinyoung stated, "This research is an achievement that can contribute to the advancement of bioresource technology commercialization through the development of food and pharmaceutical materials utilizing natural products derived from island and coastal organisms," and added, "We will continue to contribute to the development of the national bioindustry through practical research on natural products."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.