Patent ID: 8481592

Claim:
A method for treating hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, diabetes or obesity, comprising administrating to a subject in need thereof an effective amount of a sesquiterpene compound of formula (I); wherein: R 1 is hydrogen, hydroxy, halogen, C 1 -C 3 alkyl or —CO—R 6 , wherein R 6 is hydrogen or C 1 -C 3 alkyl; R 2 is hydrogen, hydroxy or C 1 -C 3 alkyl, or R 1 and R 2 may be taken together to form an epoxide; R 3 is hydrogen, hydroxy, C 1 -C 3 alkyl, —O—CO—R 7 or C 1 -C 3 alkoxy, wherein R 7 represents hydrogen or C 1 -C 3 alkyl; R 4 is hydrogen, hydroxy or C 1 -C 3 alkoxy; R 5 is hydrogen, hydroxy or C 1 -C 3 alkoxy; and represents a single or a double bond, wherein when in the ring is a double bond R 2 is hydrogen, hydroxy or C 1 -C 3 alkyl, and when the bond between R 2 and the ring is a double bond, R 2 is CH 2 ; with proviso that when R 2 is C 1 alkyl, R 3 is hydroxy, and that when R 5 is hydrogen, R 4 is not hydrogen.