The testing on pets is scheduled to start in the following months.

Citing the rodent experiment conducted by Taipei Medical University (TMU), Professor Fei Chang-yung at the department said the medication — a soup named “kan-mai-ta-tsao-tang” in Chinese — combines ingredients including licorice, wheat, and Chinese jujube to provide effects similar to anti-depression drugs, increasing the level of serotonin and dopamine to ease depression-related symptoms.

In the TMU testing, the therapy showed little or no side effects common in other pharmaceuticals, Fei added.

Asked why the tests are being conducted on pet dogs and cats, Fei pointed out that sedatives and pheromones often come with either serious side effects or high costs and thus there is a need to search for better medications.

According to a survey in 2001, 65 percent of pet dogs and cats in Taiwan are constantly kept in the house and such confinement often leads to negative emotions and poor behavior, including aggression, gnawing furniture, and excreting at random.

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