You have probably heard of scar tissue from a cut or a surgery. But your body can also develop scar tissue inside your organs and muscles with no outside injury at all. Doctors call this fibrosis, and it can be triggered by aging, inflammation, and metabolic problems like obesity.
Now, a team of Japanese researchers has been taking a closer look at something that might help.
A Traditional Remedy With a New Finding
Bofutsushosan, often called BTS for short, is a traditional Japanese Kampo medicine that has long been used for weight loss. Researchers led by Dr. Ayano Onishi recently studied whether it might also fight fibrosis directly, separate from any effect it has on weight.
The team tested all 18 herbal and mineral ingredients in BTS one by one. They were looking for which ones showed the strongest ability to fight that internal scarring.
The Four Standout Ingredients
Four ingredients rose to the top:
- Forsythiae fructus (also known as lian qiao)
- Zingiberis rhizoma — that is ginger root
- Rhei rhizoma — rhubarb rhizome
- Scutellariae radix — Baikal skullcap root
Each of these showed strong anti-fibrotic activity in the research. One ingredient, though, went the other direction. A mineral called sal mirabilis actually showed the opposite effect and appeared to promote fibrosis rather than reduce it.
Important: These Were Animal Studies
Here is where a little patience comes in. The studies behind these findings were done in mice, not in people. That matters. Treatments that work well in animals do not always carry over to humans. Dr. Onishi herself was upfront about this.
“Bofutsushosan is best known for its effects on obesity. Our findings suggest that it may also act on fibrosis associated with aging and obesity. Understanding the role of each ingredient could help guide future research into Kampo medicines, but human studies will be needed before the findings can be applied to treatment.”
So this is promising early research, not a treatment recommendation. Human trials still need to happen.
What You Can Do Right Now
The researchers also note that fibrosis is closely tied to chronic inflammation. That means many of the same habits that reduce inflammation in general may also help reduce your fibrosis risk.
Things like a balanced diet, managing your weight, and avoiding known triggers of inflammation are all part of the same picture. That is a practical place to focus while the science on BTS continues to develop.
