Banaba is a herbal medicine used to treat diabetes in some countries such as Philippines. It is consumed in the form of tea, juice or dietary supplement. Banaba extract is high in corosolic acid, plant insulin, suggested to have anti-diabetic effect.
Scientific evidence that supports its use in treatment of diabetes on humans is scarce. Nonetheless, there are some researches on animals that indicate banaba leaf extract may play a role in the treatment of diabetes, by affecting factors (such as blood glucose level) that are associated with the developement of diabetes. For instance, studies on mice report that banaba leaf extract reduced blood glucose, significantly increased insulin sensitivity and improved hyperglycemia, lowered hepatic lipid contents and triglycerides in genetically diabetic mice. The decrease in blood glucose was possibly due to increase in the uptake of glucose. In another mice study, banaba extract did not have significant effect on blood glucose level.
Banaba is also reported to aid in weight loss. Banaba extract fed mice had lost weight more than the control group.
References:
Mi-Young Park, Kwang-Seung Lee, and Mi-Kyung Sung. 2005. Effects of dietary mulberry, Korean red ginseng, and banaba on glucose homeostasis in relation to PPAR-alpha, PPAR-gamma, and LPL mRNA expressions. Life Sciences, 77(26): 3344-3354
Unno, T., Ushitani, M., Hayashi, K., and Kakuda, T. 1999. Anti-obesity activity of extracts from Lagerstroemia speciosa L. (banaba) leaves on female KK-Ay mice. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol ( Tokyo ), 45(6):791-5.
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