JP2017043610A - Agent for preventing or ameliorating hangover and agent for ameliorating liver function - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an agent for preventing or ameliorating hangover that is excellent in prevention or amelioration of hangover symptom.SOLUTION: The agent for preventing or ameliorating hangover of the present invention contains a lemon grass. The agent for preventing or ameliorating hangover preferably comprises at least one selected from amino acids, saccharide, artificial sweeteners and functional materials. The amino acids are preferably at least one selected from various amino acids and hydrates, salts, and derivatives thereof. The saccharide is preferably at least one selected from monosaccharide, disaccharide, and oligosaccharide of trisaccharide or higher. The functional material is preferably at least one selected from kudzu flower, turmeric and lactic acid bacteria. The agent for preventing or ameliorating hangover preferably also contains glucose and/or sodium chloride.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a new use of lemongrass. Specifically, the present invention relates to an agent for preventing or improving hangover containing lemongrass and an agent for improving liver function.

  A hangover generally refers to physical and mental discomfort that appears the day after drinking alcohol. Specific symptoms include headache, dullness, bad mood, diarrhea, loss of appetite, trembling, fatigue, Symptoms such as thirst, nausea, drowsiness, and reduced exercise ability are known. A hangover is said to be caused by acetaldehyde generated in the process of alcohol metabolism in the liver, and is also caused by complex factors such as stomach and intestinal damage caused by alcohol and dehydration.

So far, various agents such as ethanolamine derivatives, proline, lysine and the like have been proposed in order to prevent or quickly improve hangover. However, the conventional agents are expensive and many of them have a strong influence on the flavor. Since a hangover prevention or amelioration agent is often taken continuously, it is desirable that it is safe, inexpensive, and palatable. However, no material that sufficiently satisfies such a requirement has been found so far.
In addition, from the viewpoint of maintaining and improving liver function including prevention or improvement of hangover, a material that can activate hepatocytes, is safe, inexpensive, and has preference is desired.

  Lemongrass (scientific name: Cymbopogon citratus), on the other hand, is a perennial plant belonging to the genus Gramineae and Ogarkaya. Various physiological activities of lemongrass have been reported. For example, Patent Document 1 describes an anti-androgenic action, Patent Document 2 describes an insecticidal action, and Patent Document 3 describes lipase inhibition. Patent Document 4 describes an antibacterial action, Patent Document 5 describes an anti-inflammatory action, and Patent Document 6 describes a CGRP response promoting action of cells. However, the effects of lemongrass on hangover and liver function have never been reported.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-017486 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-298019 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-120237 Special table 2001-524501 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-261454 JP 2012-116765 JP

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an agent for preventing or improving hangover that has a high effect of preventing or improving hangover, is inexpensive, and does not interfere with flavor. Another object of the present invention is to provide a liver function improving agent capable of effectively activating liver cells and enhancing liver function.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have conducted intensive research, and as a result, found that lemongrass has an excellent hangover prevention or improvement effect including an improvement effect on liver function, and completed the present invention.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an agent for preventing or improving a hangover and an agent for improving liver function, which can eliminate the various disadvantages of the above-described prior art.

  The present invention provides a hangover preventing or improving agent and a liver function improving agent containing lemongrass.

  In addition, the present invention is a container-packed beverage or capsule containing lemongrass, a lemongrass, a composition containing at least one selected from amino acids, sugars, artificial sweeteners and functional materials, and lemongrass, A composition containing glucose and / or sodium chloride is provided.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the agent which is safe and cheap, does not have trouble on flavor, and has a high effect of preventing or improving hangover is obtained. Moreover, according to this invention, the liver function improving agent which can activate a hepatocyte effectively and can strengthen a liver function is obtained.

1 is a graph showing the effect of improving hangover symptoms in Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example 1. FIG. (A) relates to the improvement effect of headache, (b) relates to the improvement effect of nausea, and (c) relates to the improvement effect of sleepiness. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing alcohol consumption, sample intake, and a VAS questionnaire schedule in the examples. FIG. 3 is a graph showing the effect of improving hangover symptoms in Example 3 and Comparative Example 2. (A) relates to the effect of improving headache, and (b) relates to the effect of improving diarrhea. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the effect of improving hangover symptoms in Example 3 and Comparative Example 2. (A) relates to the improvement effect of bad mood, and (b) relates to the improvement effect of anorexia. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the effect of improving hangover symptoms in Example 3 and Comparative Example 2. (A) relates to the improvement effect of tremor, and (b) relates to the improvement effect of nausea. 6 is a graph showing the effect of improving hangover symptoms in Example 3 and Comparative Example 2. FIG. (A) relates to the effect of improving fatigue, and (b) relates to the effect of improving dry mouth. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the effect of improving hangover symptoms in Examples 4 to 6 and Comparative Examples 3 and 4. (A) relates to the effect of improving headache, and (b) relates to the effect of improving diarrhea. FIG. 8 is a graph showing the effect of improving hangover symptoms in Examples 4 to 6 and Comparative Examples 3 and 4. (A) relates to the improvement effect of bad mood, and (b) relates to the improvement effect of anorexia. FIG. 9 is a graph showing the effect of improving hangover symptoms in Examples 4 to 6 and Comparative Examples 3 and 4. (A) relates to the improvement effect of tremor, and (b) relates to the improvement effect of nausea. FIG. 10 is a graph showing the effect of improving hangover symptoms in Examples 4 to 6 and Comparative Examples 3 and 4. (A) relates to the effect of improving fatigue, and (b) relates to the effect of improving dry mouth. FIG. 11 is a graph showing hepatocyte activation effects in Examples 7 to 18 and Comparative Examples 6 to 16. FIG. 12 is a graph showing hepatocyte activation effects in Examples 19 to 28 and Comparative Examples 17 to 26. FIG. 13 is a graph showing hepatocyte activation effects in Examples 29-41 and Comparative Examples 27-39.

  Hereinafter, although the embodiment of the present invention will be described to describe the agent of the present invention in more detail, the present invention is not limited thereto. In the following, unless otherwise specified, the “agent of the present invention” corresponds to any of a hangover prevention or improvement agent, a liver function improvement agent, and a composition.

(Lemongrass)
Examples of the portion of the lemongrass used in the present invention include leaves, stems, flowers, fruits, seeds, rhizomes and roots, and it is preferable to use the above-ground parts such as leaves, stems, flowers, fruits or seeds. Particularly preferably, leaves and / or stems are used, particularly preferably leaves and stems.

  The agent of the present invention may use a raw lemongrass plant as a lemongrass, or a processed product of lemongrass. Examples of such a processed product include a pulverized product, a fragmented product, an extract, a squeezed product, and a dried product of lemon grass. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The form of lemongrass contained in the agent of the present invention may be solid, liquid or fluid. The solid lemongrass may be in any form of powder, granule, lump, and dry solid.

  Examples of the pulverized product include a raw lemongrass plant or a product obtained by pulverizing a processed product obtained by subjecting it to processing selected from drying, fragmentation, heating, sterilization, and the like. . It may be subjected to a processing selected from drying, heating, sterilization and the like after pulverization. For example, a dry powder obtained by pulverizing and drying lemongrass is a dried product and a pulverized product to be described later.

  Examples of the fragmented product include a raw lemongrass plant or a product obtained by subjecting a processed product obtained by subjecting it to a treatment selected from drying, heating, sterilization and the like. It may have been subjected to processing selected from drying, heating, sterilization and the like after fragmentation. In addition, the pulverized material mentioned above refers to a material that generally passes through 60 mesh, and a fragmented material generally does not pass through the 60 mesh and has a length of 10 mm or less.

  The extract is obtained by subjecting a raw lemongrass plant or a processed product obtained by subjecting it to processing selected from pulverization, fragmentation, heating, sterilization, squeezing, etc. Is mentioned. It may be subjected to processing selected from heating, sterilization, concentration, purification, drying and the like after extraction.

  As the squeezed product, a raw lemongrass plant or a product obtained by subjecting it to a processed product obtained by subjecting it to processing selected from pulverization, fragmentation, heating, sterilization and the like can be mentioned. It is done. After squeezing, it may be subjected to processing selected from drying, heating, sterilization, purification, concentration and the like.

  Examples of the dried product include a raw lemongrass plant or a product obtained by subjecting a processed product obtained by subjecting it to processing selected from pulverization, fragmentation, heating, sterilization, and the like. . It may be subjected to processing selected from pulverization, fragmentation, heating, sterilization and the like after drying.

  In addition, what passed through the extraction process is included in the extract, and is not included in the pulverized product, the fragmented product, and the dried product.

  Examples of the pulverization treatment include a pulverization treatment using any method usually used by those skilled in the art using a crusher, a mill, a blender, a stone mortar or the like. The ground lemongrass is sieved as necessary.

  The drying treatment is preferably a treatment for drying so that the moisture content after drying is 30% by mass or less, particularly 20% by mass or less, since a flavorful and colorful dried product can be obtained. This drying treatment can be performed by any method known to those skilled in the art, such as hot air drying, high pressure steam drying, electromagnetic wave drying, freeze drying, and the like. The drying process includes a roasting process.

  The fragmentation process is a process of slicing, crushing, cutting, chopping, slurrying, etc. the plant body of lemongrass, and those skilled in the art use a method that is usually used when fragmenting the plant body. it can.

  Examples of the squeeze treatment include a method of squeezing raw lemongrass or a processed product thereof, or centrifuging or filtering a fragmented product of lemongrass. A typical example is a method in which juice is obtained by squeezing with a mechanical crushing means such as a mixer or a juicer, and removing crude solids by means such as sieving or filtration, if necessary. Specific examples include the methods described in JP-A Nos. 08-245408 and 09-047252.

  Moreover, as an extraction process, the extraction solvent normally used by those skilled in the art can be added, and the method of heating and extracting as needed can be mentioned. Examples of the extraction solvent in the extraction treatment include polar solvents. Examples of the polar solvent include water, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, 1,3-butylene glycol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerin, acetic acid, ethyl acetate, ether, hexane, and the like. Of these, water, methanol, and ethanol are preferred. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The extraction treatment is preferably performed by adding 0.5 g or more and 20 g or less of lemongrass in a dry mass to 1000 ml of solvent, and more preferably performed by adding 1 g or more and 10 g or less.

  When water is used as the extraction solvent, it is preferable to carry out at an extraction temperature of 80 ° C. or higher, preferably 85 ° C. or higher, from the viewpoint of extraction efficiency of the active ingredient. The extraction time is preferably from 1 minute to 20 minutes, more preferably from 3 minutes to 10 minutes.

  When extracting with a polar solvent, the extraction method is not particularly limited. For example, any method such as continuous extraction, immersion extraction, or countercurrent extraction can be employed, and any apparatus is used at room temperature or under reflux heating. can do. The extract may be concentrated as necessary.

  The heat treatment is a treatment for keeping the green color of lemongrass leaves vivid, and examples of the heat treatment include hot water treatment and steaming treatment. The sterilization treatment is usually a treatment for physically and chemically killing microbial cells using temperature, pressure, electromagnetic waves, chemicals and the like.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to use a processed product of lemongrass as lemongrass, and preferably one or more selected from dried lemongrass, pulverized product, fragmented product or extract, dried product or its It is preferable to use an extract or use a pulverized product, a fragmented product or an extract. In particular, it is preferable to use a dried pulverized product or a fragmented product or an extract thereof as a dried product or an extract thereof. Examples of the pulverized product in the dry state include dry powder, and the fragmented product in the dry state includes commercially available products sold as tea leaves. In addition, in this invention, the processed material which passed through the fermentation process may be used as a processed product of lemon grass, and the processed material which has not passed through the fermentation process may be used. Specific examples of the fermentation treatment in this case include treatment of lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, koji molds, and the like on lemongrass in a liquid state or a slurry state.

  The agent of this invention may contain the other component normally used besides the said lemon grass in the range which does not impair the effect of this invention. Examples of such components include various excipients, binders, brighteners, lubricants, stabilizers, diluents, extenders, thickeners, emulsifiers, antioxidants, pH adjusters, colorants, and fragrances. And additives. The content of other components can be appropriately selected according to the form of the agent of the present invention.

  In particular, when the agent of the present invention contains at least one selected from amino acids, saccharides, artificial sweeteners and functional materials, hepatocytes can be used in combination with lemongrass as shown in the description of Examples described later. Can be activated synergistically. Such an agent of the present invention is preferable because it can enhance liver function and can efficiently prevent or improve hangover.

  Amino acids include organic compounds having both amino and carboxyl functional groups. Examples of amino acids include both amino acids that are included as residues in proteins of the body of animals such as human bodies, and amino acids that are not included in proteins but are naturally occurring. Examples of amino acids contained as residues in proteins include amino acids that are linked as genetic information during protein synthesis, and amino acids that will be contained in proteins as residues due to modifications after protein synthesis. The amino acids linked as genetic information during protein synthesis include alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamine, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, lysine, leucine, methionine, phenylalanine, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, cysteine, Examples include valine. Moreover, cystine, hydroxyproline, etc. are mentioned as an amino acid which will be contained in protein as a residue by the modification after protein synthesis. Furthermore, examples of naturally occurring amino acids that are not contained in proteins include citrulline, ornithine, creatine, and the like. In the present specification, amino acids include hydrates, salts or derivatives of amino acids. Examples of the salt include hydrochloride, sodium salt, potassium salt, barium salt, cesium salt, or calcium salt. Derivatives include those in which the hydrogen atom in the amino acid is substituted with an acyl group or HYPERLINK "http://nomenclator.la.coocan.jp/chem/text/amino.htm" \ l "amide" Things. Amino acids are alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamine, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, lysine, leucine, methionine, phenylalanine, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, cysteine, cystine, hydroxyproline and citrulline and their water. It is preferable that it is at least one selected from Japanese products, salts or derivatives from the viewpoint of improving liver function and preventing hangover and improving effects when combined with lemongrass. Amino acids may be obtained from natural materials containing amino acids using a technique such as extraction, or industrially produced amino acids may be used. Examples of the agent of the present invention include an agent obtained by adding an amino acid. For example, an agent having an increased amino acid content compared to a normal food or a food that does not normally contain an amino acid. Includes foods with added amino acids.

  Examples of the saccharide include monosaccharide, disaccharide, trisaccharide or more oligosaccharide, and sugar alcohol and other sugar derivatives. Examples of monosaccharides include glucose, fructose, mannose, galactose, and fucose. Examples of the disaccharide include maltose, sucrose, and lactose. Examples of the oligosaccharides having 3 or more sugars include oligosaccharides having 3 sugars or more and 10 sugars or less, such as trisaccharide to 10 sugar malto-oligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides, isomalto-oligosaccharides, beet oligosaccharides, soybean oligosaccharides, xylooligosaccharides. Etc. Examples of sugar alcohols include those obtained by industrially reducing these monosaccharides, disaccharides or oligosaccharides, such as maltitol (reduced maltose), lactitol, reduced isomaltulose, xylitol, erythritol, Examples thereof include mannitol and sorbitol. Examples of sugar derivatives include those used as sweeteners. Examples of such derivatives include sucralose in which the hydroxyl group of sucrose is substituted with chlorine, and a glycoside having steviol, a so-called stevia, as a hydrophobic aglycone. Etc. The glycoside was added with stevioside, rebaudioside A, rebaudioside C, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside E, zulcoside and one or more monosaccharides added thereto. Examples of the structure include those marketed as SK Sweet Series made by Nippon Paper Industries.

  Artificial sweeteners include acesulfame K, aspartame, sucralose, neotame and the like.

  Examples of functional materials include Kuzuka, turmeric, etc., which have an effect of improving liver function, and lactic acid bacteria as fungi.

  Examples of kuzuhana include Pueraria thomsonii, Pueraria lobata, Pueraria thunbergiana, and the like, which can be used alone or in combination. Specific examples of kuzuka include these fresh flowers, processed products obtained by processing kuzuka, and the like. Kuzuka includes flowers collected from the stage to the fully opened flower. In particular, it is preferable to use soot. As the turmeric, a processed product of Curcuma domestica Val (Guraceae turmeric genus plant) can be used. Here, the processed product of these plants includes a dried product and an extract. The dried product refers to a product obtained by drying the plant body, a dry powder obtained by crushing the plant body after drying. An extract is a juice of a plant, an extract extracted from the plant, a concentrated solution obtained by concentrating these juices or extracts, a dry powder obtained by drying these juices or extracts (extraction Product powder). In addition, as a processed product of Kuzuka and / or a processed product of turmeric, a processed product that has undergone a fermentation process may be used, or a processed product that has not been subjected to a fermentation process may be used. Specific examples of the fermentation treatment in this case include treatment of lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, koji molds, and the like with respect to kuzuka and / or turmeric in a liquid state or a slurry state.

  Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus thermophilus, Streptococcus faecalis (Streptococcus faecalis) (Enterococcus oc facus And Bacillus coagullans, Pediococcus acidilactici, etc. are used. These lactic acid bacteria can be used individually by 1 type or in combination of 2 or more types. The properties of the lactic acid bacteria are not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the dosage form of the agent of the present invention, the level of required effect, etc., for example, heat resistance, acid resistance, sugar resistance, salt resistance, Examples include spores. There is no restriction | limiting in particular as the acquisition method of the said lactic acid bacteria, For example, you may use the lactic acid bacteria isolated from foodstuffs, such as lactic acid bacteria drink vegetables, such as yoghurt and makgeolli, and a commercial item. The lactic acid bacterium may be either live or dead.

  Furthermore, this invention is preferable when it contains any one of sodium chloride and glucose in order to obtain a hangover prevention or improvement effect more effectively, and it is still more preferable that both sodium chloride and glucose are contained. It is also preferable to combine glucose and / or sodium chloride with fructose and / or amino acids.

  When amino acids, saccharides, artificial sweeteners, functional materials, sodium chloride or glucose are contained in the agent of the present invention, the form thereof may be solid, liquid or fluid. The solid form may be any form of powder, granule, lump, and dry solid. Amino acids, saccharides, artificial sweeteners, functional materials, sodium chloride and glucose may be dissolved or dispersed in the aqueous solution.

  The agent of the present invention can be formulated into various dosage forms by a known formulation method, if necessary. Examples of the dosage form include powder, granule, granule, tablet, rod, plate, Examples include block, solid, round, liquid, paste, capsule such as hard capsule and soft capsule, caplet, tablet, gel, chewable, syrup, and stick. Among these, the form of a liquid agent, a drink, and juice is especially preferable. Specifically, container-packed beverages filled in PET bottles, cans, bottles and the like can be exemplified. These are preferable in that they are easy to drink and can enhance palatability. Examples of the capsule material that encapsulates the agent of the present invention include gelatin, starch, and glycerin. As for the size of the capsule, those having a major axis of 8.5 mm to 20.0 mm and a minor axis of 6.0 mm to 10 mm are common. Examples of the form of the lemongrass encapsulated in the soft capsule and the auxiliary material contained as necessary include powder, granule, granule, solid, round, liquid, paste, and gel.

  From the viewpoint of further enhancing the effects of the present invention, the agent of the present invention desirably blends lemongrass in a dry mass of 0.0001% by mass or more, more desirably 0.001% by mass or more. It is particularly desirable to blend 0.01 mass% or more. A preferred upper limit is 10% by mass or less, a more preferred upper limit is 5% or less, and a most preferred upper limit is 2.5% or less. For example, in the case of containing a pulverized product or a fragmented product of lemon grass, a preferable upper limit is 100% by mass or less, and a more preferable upper limit is 90% by mass or less. For example, when the form of the agent of the present invention is a soft capsule, the ratio of lemongrass in the agent of the present invention is the ratio when the contents of the soft capsule are used as the denominator.

  In addition, when the agent of the present invention contains amino acids, it is desirable to mix amino acids in a dry mass of 0.001 to 3% by mass, and 0.01 to 2% by mass. Is more desirable, and it is particularly desirable to blend 0.1% by mass or more and 1% by mass or less.

  Moreover, when the agent of this invention contains saccharides, it is desirable to mix | blend saccharides 0.01 mass% or more and 15 mass% or less as dry mass, and it is more preferable to mix | blend 0.1 mass% or more and 10 mass% or less. Desirably, 1 mass% or more and 5 mass% or less are blended.

  When the agent of the present invention contains an artificial sweetener, the artificial sweetener is preferably blended in a dry mass of 0.001% by mass to 10% by mass, and 0.01% by mass to 5% by mass. It is more desirable to blend, and it is particularly desirable to blend 0.1% by mass or more and 2.5% by mass or less.

  Moreover, when the agent of this invention contains a functional raw material, it is desirable to mix | blend a functional raw material 0.01 mass% or more and 20 mass% or less as a dry mass. In particular, when it contains kuzuka, it is more desirable to blend 0.01 mass% or more and 20 mass% or less, and it is particularly desirable that 0.1 mass% or more and 10 mass% or less be blended as the dry mass. . In particular, when it contains turmeric, it is more desirable to blend 0.01 mass% or more and 10 mass% or less, and it is especially desirable to blend 0.1 mass% or more and 5 mass% or less as a dry mass. In particular, when lactic acid bacteria are contained, it is more desirable to blend 0.001% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less, and particularly desirably 0.01% by mass or more and 5% by mass or less as the dry mass of lactic acid bacteria.

  In particular, when the agent of the present invention contains glucose, it is more desirable to mix glucose in a dry mass of 0.01% by mass or more and 15% by mass or less, and 0.1% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less. Particularly desirable. When the agent of the present invention contains sodium chloride, it is more desirable to blend sodium chloride in a dry mass of 0.001% by mass or more and 1% by mass or less, and 0.01% by mass or more and 0.5% by mass or less. It is particularly desirable to do so. When sodium chloride and glucose are used in combination, 0.001 to 20 parts by mass, and more preferably 0.01 to 10 parts by mass of sodium chloride with respect to 100 parts by mass of glucose.

  The agent of the present invention is inexpensive and can be safely ingested orally and has high palatability, as well as high hangover prevention or prevention action by lemongrass, as will be apparent from the description of Examples below. For this reason, the agent of the present invention prevents various hangover symptoms such as headache, dullness, nausea, bad mood, diarrhea, loss of appetite, shivering, fatigue, thirst, sleepiness, decreased ability of exercise etc. Or it is effective as an inhibitor. The agent of the present invention can be used for preventing or ameliorating one or more symptoms selected from the above-mentioned various hangover symptoms. In particular, the agent of the present invention is useful for preventing or ameliorating one or more symptoms selected from headache, nausea, dullness and sleepiness associated with drinking alcohol, and in particular, preventing or improving headache, nausea, dullness and sleepiness. Useful to do. In addition, the agent of the present invention, particularly when it contains glucose and / or salt, causes headache, dullness, bad mood, diarrhea, loss of appetite, trembling, fatigue, dry mouth, nausea, drowsiness, reduced motor ability. Any of these can be improved and prevented more effectively. As a hangover symptom as used herein, for example, a symptom in which a drunkness of alcohol appears without awakening after drinking. The effect of the agent of the present invention is exhibited 3 hours after the ingestion of the agent, as will be apparent from the description of Examples described later, and is particularly effective in improving hangover symptoms, particularly early improvement. The effect of preventing or improving hangover of the present invention includes an effect of improving liver function including the effect of activating hepatocytes shown in Examples described later. The agent of the present invention is also effective for the activation of metabolism of alcohol, drugs and the like, the prevention, improvement and treatment of fatty liver and hepatitis through hepatocyte activation. Fatty liver and hepatitis can be both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. In addition, the present invention may provide a method for preventing or improving hangover (however, excluding medical practice) ingesting the agent of the present invention.

  The agent of the present invention may be taken after drinking or may be taken before drinking. The agent of the present invention may be ingested as it is, or may be ingested liquid obtained by extraction with hot water or hot water. For example, a solid preparation containing a dried product of lemongrass, which is ingested as it is, is particularly preferable because the effect of improving headache and nausea after drinking is high.

  The method for preventing or improving hangover according to the present invention is characterized by ingesting the agent of the present invention described above, but does not include medical practice. The agent for preventing or improving hangover of the present invention is preferably taken within 3 hours after sleeping after drinking alcohol and then getting up. In addition, it is desirable to take sleep after drinking and then ingest within 2 hours after waking up, more preferably a method to take sleep after drinking and then ingest within 1 hour after waking up, take sleep after drinking, A method of taking it within 30 minutes after waking up is particularly preferable.

  The intake amount of the agent of the present invention is preferably 1 mg or more and 100,000 mg or less, and more preferably 10 mg or more and 50,000 mg or less as the dry mass of lemongrass. The daily intake is preferably 1 mg or more and 500,000 mg or less, and more preferably 10 mg or more and 100,000 mg or less as the dry mass of lemongrass.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to such examples. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, “%” represents mass%, and “part” represents mass part.

[Example 1]
Lemongrass 4 g of dried debris was extracted with 500 g of hot water at 90 ° C. for 5 minutes and filtered to obtain 500 g of an extract. This extract was filled into a 500 ml PET bottle container, and the sealed container-packed beverage was used as a sample for the following evaluation.

<Evaluation 1>
14 healthy adults (including 11 men, 3 women, 5 in 20s, 5 in 30s, 4 in 40s) from 7pm to 3am at the latest, beer and sake as alcohol , Shochu, liqueur, etc., were selected according to personal preference, and after ingesting an amount of hangover, it was allowed to sleep. The next day (or the same day), after each self-wake-up (5:30 am to 12:00 am), a questionnaire about hangover symptoms was filled in, and the degree of hangover symptoms at that time was evaluated. Immediately after the questionnaire, 500 g of the sample was orally ingested. The elapsed time from the end of drinking for 14 people to the sample intake was all within 14 hours.

  In the questionnaire, the highest score is “0: same as normal without drinking”, and the lowest score is “−8: worst sense that has never been experienced”. I made it complete. The evaluation items were “headache”, “nausea” and “sleepiness”. Each subject was divided into groups according to the “evaluation score obtained in the questionnaire before ingestion”. Specifically, a group with a score of -8 or less is a "very bad" group, a group with a score higher than -8 but lower than -4 is a "bad" group, and a group with a score of 0 Divided into “unchangeable” groups. In addition, among all the subjects, about 10 people in total belonged to the “very bad” group or the “bad” group (the same applies to Example 2 and Comparative Example 1 described later).

  Three hours after the questionnaire was conducted, each subject was again filled in the questionnaire. Specifically, “I got better (+4)”, “I got a little better (+2)”, “No change (0)”, “I got a little worse (−2)”, “I got worse (−4)” 5 As the stage evaluation, the state of hangover symptoms at that time was evaluated. For each group, the average score of the questionnaire after ingestion was obtained, and the average score of the questionnaire at the time of waking up was subtracted to calculate the degree of improvement by ingestion. The result is shown in FIG.

[Example 2]
As a pulverized product of lemon grass, 1.52 g of dry powder was filled into a hard capsule made of gelatin having a length of 18 mm to obtain a capsule-like sample (1.58 g per piece). About this sample, it used for the evaluation similar to Example 1 on the day different from the sample of Example 1. FIG. The sample intake per person was 10 capsules. Capsules were ingested using water. The result is shown in FIG.

[Comparative Example 1]
A commercially available soft drink was used as a sample. This soft drink contains water, fructose, sugar, sodium chloride, fruit extract, acidulant, fragrance, potassium chloride, calcium lactate and vitamin C, but does not contain lemongrass. About this sample, it used for the evaluation similar to Example 1 on the day different from the sample of Example 1 and 2. FIG. The result is shown in FIG.

  As is clear from the results of FIG. 1, the hangover symptoms of “headache”, “nausea” and “sleepiness” were higher in Examples 1 and 2 containing lemongrass than in Comparative Example 1 not containing this. The effect was shown. In particular, “headache” and “nausea” were highly improved in the “very bad group” in which the degree of deterioration of the condition due to drinking was large. As for “sleepiness”, the degree of improvement in “very bad group” in Example 2 is higher than that in Comparative Example 1, and also in Example 1, both “very bad group” and “bad group” subjects. The average improvement was 1.1, exceeding 0.9 of Comparative Example 1 (numerical values not shown). Therefore, it is clear that the agent of the present invention containing lemongrass has a high effect on hangover improvement and is useful as an agent for preventing or improving hangover.

Example 3
A tea pack containing 1.3 g of dried desiccated lemongrass was placed in 500 g of hot water at 90 ° C. and allowed to stand for 5 minutes to obtain 500 g of lemongrass extract. A sample of Example 3 was obtained as a beverage obtained by adding and mixing the following auxiliary materials to this extract so as to have the final concentration shown below.
Main material (extraction)
Lemongrass 0.26% (extracted at a rate of 1.3g / 500ml)
Secondary material glucose ... 2.50%
Fructose ... 0.50%
Salt (sodium chloride) ... 0.1026%
Milk protein ... 0.024%
Alanine ... 0.28%
Glutamine ... 0.28%
Acidulant ... 0.16%
Fragrance ... 0.13%

[Comparative Example 2]
Drinking water was used as the sample of Comparative Example 2.

  The samples of Example 3 and Comparative Example 2 were subjected to the following evaluation.

<Evaluation 2>
52 healthy adults were allowed to sleep after drinking from 8 pm to 11 pm on the drinking day, and samples were taken after waking up the next day. Meanwhile, a total of 6 VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) questionnaires according to the schedule shown in FIG. 2 were conducted. In this questionnaire, when “0” is set to the “worst in experience” state and “100” is set to the “best in experience” state, the current state is located on a straight line of 100 mm. It is to be filled out on a form. The evaluation items were headache, bad mood, diarrhea, loss of appetite, trembling, fatigue, nausea, and thirst.

[result]
From the results of the hangover awareness questionnaire (VAS2 questionnaire) when waking up the day after drinking, the hangover symptoms were not changed between the VAS1 questionnaire and the VAS2 questionnaire, and three persons who had no hangover symptoms were excluded from the analysis. VAS 3 to 6 were performed on 49 subjects (sample intake group of Example 3: 26 people, sample intake group of Comparative Example 2: 23 people). The average value of each intake group was calculated | required about the numerical value made to fill in each of VAS2-6. As a value obtained by subtracting the average value of the VAS2 values from the average value of the VAS3 to 6 values, the VAS change amount from the time of getting up was obtained. The average value of VAS change amount of each intake group is shown in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 6, in this test, “headache”, “diarrhea”, “bad mood” among “hangover symptoms” by ingesting a drink containing lemongrass and specific auxiliary materials, Improvements were suggested in all of “loss of appetite”, “tremor”, “nausea”, “fatigue”, and “thirst”. Therefore, it is clear that the agent of the present invention containing lemongrass and specific auxiliary materials is highly effective in improving hangover and is useful as an agent for preventing or improving hangover.

[Examples 4 to 6, Comparative Examples 3 and 4]
In Example 3, samples of Examples 4 to 6 and Comparative Examples 3 and 4 having compositions changed as shown in Table 1 below were prepared. The unit of the numerical value of the term below glucose in Table 1 is mass%.

<Evaluation 3>
The samples of Examples 4 to 6 and Comparative Examples 3 and 4 were evaluated in the same manner as in the above <Evaluation 2>. In addition, 45 subjects who are healthy adults were divided into 9 subjects, different samples of Examples 4 to 6 and Comparative Examples 3 and 4 were assigned to each group, and the assigned samples were ingested. The results are shown in FIGS.

  In this test, Example 4 is “headache”, “diarrhea”, “bad feeling”, “loss of appetite”, “tremor”, “nausea”, “fatigue”, “thirst” “All showed improvement. In Example 5, “Headache”, “Fatigue” and “Thirsty” among “Hangover Symptoms” showed an improvement trend, and other items also showed an improvement tendency although inferior to Example 4. Moreover, although Example 6 was inferior to Examples 4 and 5, the improvement tendency was seen about each item including headache and a feeling of fatigue. In Comparative Examples 3 and 4, the headache and the feeling of fatigue were slightly improved, but other evaluations showed no improvement or poor improvement. From these facts, it was revealed that the specific auxiliary material combined with lemongrass is more preferably salt, more preferably glucose, and most preferably glucose and salt. Therefore, it is clear that the agent of the present invention containing lemongrass and specific auxiliary materials is highly effective in improving hangover and is useful as an agent for preventing or improving hangover.

[Examples 7 to 41, Comparative Examples 6 to 39]
Human liver cancer-derived cells (HepG2) were cultured using 10% FBS-DMEM, and seeded at 4.0 × 10 ⁴ cells / well in each well of 96 well plate. Lemongrass, sub-materials shown in Table 2, or combinations thereof, after pre-culturing with 10% FBS-DMEM medium, removing the medium from each well, adjusting the concentration to a predetermined level with serum-free DMEM, and filter sterilizing 200 μL of the sample was added and cultured for 24 hours. Cell culture was measured using Cell Counting Kit-8 after culture. The results are shown in FIGS. The vertical axis | shaft of the graph of FIGS. 11-13 shows the change value with respect to control. As will be described later, in Examples 7 to 39 and 41 and Comparative Examples 6 to 37 and 39 in which the cell activity was not measured, 200 μL of serum-free DMEM was added instead of the sample as a control. What was cultured like was used. In Example 40 and Comparative Example 38 using DMSO, a serum-free DMEM containing 0.25% DMSO was cultured in the same manner as Example 40 and Comparative Example 38 instead of the sample. In Examples 7 to 41, as the lemongrass, a powder obtained by repeatedly pulverizing a commercially available dried product of leaves and stems once with a bead shocker at 2,300 rpm for 20 seconds for a total of 7 times. The shape was used. As the kuzu flower used in Example 39 and Comparative Example 37, a powder obtained by drying a liquid extract obtained by extracting the flower part of kuzu (scientific name: Pueraria thomsonii) with hot water was used. As the turmeric used in Example 40 and Comparative Example 38, dried powder of turmeric root (turmeric powder manufactured by Nippon Powder Chemical Co., Ltd.) was used. As lactic acid bacteria used in Example 41 and Comparative Example 39, dried powder of dead bacteria of makgeolli-derived lactic acid bacteria (scientific name: Pediococcus acidilactici) was used. The auxiliary materials other than turmeric were dispersed and dissolved in serum-free DMEM so as to be contained at a predetermined concentration. Turmeric was dissolved in DMSO and diluted with serum-free DMEM so that the final concentration of DMSO was 0.5%, so that a predetermined concentration was included. Also. Other auxiliary materials, such as amino acids, saccharides, and artificial sweeteners, are also specifically named and shown in Table 2 and are all in powder form, and these are also dispersed and dissolved in serum-free DMEM. Thus, a predetermined concentration was included. These were all filter sterilized and used for each test. The sample of the auxiliary material alone was mixed with an equal amount of serum-free DMEM and a double-concentrated auxiliary material-containing medium, and the combined sample with lemongrass was mixed with an equal amount of a double-concentrated auxiliary material-containing medium to give a predetermined concentration. The unit of the numerical values described in FIGS. 11 to 13 is μg / ml, and the numerical value indicates the final concentration in the sample.

  From the results shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, it is clear that the agent of the present invention containing lemongrass and the specific auxiliary material of the present invention has a high hepatocyte activating effect. Therefore, according to the agent of the present invention, liver function is improved, and hangover can be effectively prevented or improved.

Claims (6)

  An agent for preventing or improving a hangover containing lemongrass.   2. The agent for preventing or improving hangover according to claim 1, comprising at least one selected from amino acids, sugars, artificial sweeteners and functional materials. Amino acids are alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamine, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, lysine, leucine, methionine, phenylalanine, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, cystine, cysteine, hydroxyproline, citrulline and their water At least one selected from Japanese, salts, and derivatives,
The saccharide is at least one selected from glucose, maltose, reduced maltose, isomaltoligosaccharide, sucrose, fructose, lactose, sucralose, and stevia.
The artificial sweetener is acesulfame K,
The agent for preventing or improving hangover according to claim 2, wherein the functional material is at least one selected from kuzunohana, turmeric and lactic acid bacteria.   The agent for preventing or improving hangover according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising glucose and / or sodium chloride.   A composition containing lemongrass and at least one selected from amino acids, sugars, artificial sweeteners and functional materials.   A composition containing lemongrass and glucose and / or sodium chloride.