The anti-obesity effects of musk — why we put musk in GONG BI JIN YAK

Musk (麝香, sahyang) is one of the four key herbs in Gongjindan and an herb in Miple's patented prescription GONG BI JIN YAK. It is an herb said to open blocked qi at once and raise circulation and metabolism throughout the body, and there are research findings worth noting in dieting as well.

What kind of herb is musk?

Musk (Moschus) is an herb made from the secretion of the musk gland of the male musk deer. It is slightly pungent with a strong aroma and warm in nature, and it moves qi through the whole body at once. With its cardiotonic action it rapidly promotes blood flow, and it has long been used in emergencies such as shock or stroke with loss of consciousness; by promoting breathing and circulation it is expected to activate metabolism and have an antioxidant effect.

What a review paper says about musk

1. Restoring liver function — when musk was given to rats with induced liver damage, progression to cirrhosis was suppressed and liver levels, total cholesterol, and white blood cell counts decreased.
2. Preventing cerebrovascular disease — it had a protective and preventive effect on areas damaged by cerebral ischemia.
3. Immune enhancement and anti-inflammation — the water-soluble components of musk reduced inflammatory responses by suppressing macrophage activation.
4. Anti-obesity effect — when musk, bezoar (cow gallstone), and notoginseng root were given together to rats with induced hyperlipidemia, total cholesterol, phospholipids, and LDL cholesterol decreased.
5. Anticancer and antioxidant effects
6. Lowering blood pressure and strengthening heart function — in hypertensive rats it lowered blood pressure and strengthened heart function.

Dieting is a matter of 'metabolism' more than 'diet'

Among the people who come to us for weight loss, it is far more often not that they simply eat a lot, but that they need to improve how they burn the energy they take in (metabolism). When metabolic decline builds up over a long time from irregular eating and excess sugar intake, a diet that only lowers appetite is less efficient for weight loss and harder to maintain.

That is why we put musk in GONG BI JIN YAK

GONG BI JIN YAK has a dual structure: a group of diet herbs that go after body fat (the spear) and Gongjindan, which protects energy (the shield). Within it, musk wakes up circulation and metabolism and calms the mind and body that tend to become sensitive during a diet, helping prevent stress-driven binge eating. To protect the active components of musk, which are sensitive to heat, it is made by vacuum low-temperature drying. → See GONG BI JIN YAK in detail

Source: Kim Min-woo, Song Yun-kyung, Lim Hyung-ho. "A study analyzing research trends on wild ginseng, bezoar, bear bile, and musk and exploring their potential as anti-obesity agents." Journal of Society of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research 11.2 (2011): 41-68.