Indian Herb Salacia Oblonga Can Lower Blood Sugar

Filed in archive Research , Treatment on July 15, 2007

The traditional Indian herbal called Salacia Oblonga has been found by U.S. researchers to lower blood and insulin responses after eating.

As reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:

"The extract of Salacia oblonga lowers acute glycemia and insulinemia in persons with type 2 diabetes after a high-carbohydrate meal. The results from this study suggest that Salacia may be beneficial to this population for postprandial glucose control."

The said study was conducted by Researchers from Abbott Laboratories and Radiant Research and found that Salacia oblonga acts in a similar way to diabetes medications: by binding to intestinal enzymes called alpha-glucosidases.

Alpha-glucosidases are the enzymes responsible for breaking down carbohydrates into glucose. In the presence of the herbal extract, the enzyme binds to the herbal extract rather than a carbohydrate, thereby resulting to less glucose getting into the blood stream - thus lowering blood glucose and insulin levels.

Results of the abovementioned randomised, double-blinded crossover study showed that both doses (240 or 480 mg) of the herbal significantly lowered the postprandial glucose response by 14 and 22 per cent for the 240 mg and 480 mg extract, respectively, compared to the control meal.

Read the full report.