Aim: To evaluate the effects of P. minus extract on Chronic ultra-mild stress induced anorexia and anhedonia was the main objective of this study.

Background: Anorexia (less food intake) and anhedonia (loss of interest) are very common among depressed patients which create many problems about their essential nutrition values, they can lose their body weight and immunity which can further lead towards death due to severe anorexia. Anorexia has strong relationship with anhedonia because less food intake behavior is developed due to loss of interest in food. Polygonum minus plant belongs to family Polygonaceae, commonly known as ‘Kesum’ in Malaysia. Some experimental and clinical studies showed that an aqueous extract of its leaf part improve memory and enhances positive mood in patients as well as in research animals. It contains many essential flavonoids in its leaf part.

Methodology: In this study chronic ultra-mild stress for 6 weeks had been used to induce the depression in mice (n=14), there were 6 groups in this study including three groups with different doses of P. minus extract. After CUMS the body weight, Food consumption and Food preference tests were performed.

Results: Results showed that stressed mice group lost their body weight significantly and P. minus extract improves sweet food preference and food consumption with maximum doses in comparison of Chronic ultra-mild stressed group.

Conclusion: These findings indicate that chronic administration of P. minus extract can reduce the anorexia and improves the anhedonia among stressed mice.

Keywords. Polygonum minus, Anorexia, Anhedonia, Aqueous, Extract