Salacia oblonga has a long tradition of use for thousands of years as an Indian Ayurvedic herb. A few studies have looked at the effects in humans and the early results are promising in terms of blood sugar control. In Japan it has been sold as a food supplement for several years. Salacia oblonga plant grows in limited regions of India and Sri Lanka, and it is not yet well known in the U.S. It is also known as Saptrangi and Ponkoranti.
Benefit of Salacia Oblonga
This herb may be beneficial in blood sugar control. Salacia oblonga
contains two alpha-Glucosidase inhibitors: salicinol and kotalanol 9. For more information
on natural ways to decrease blood sugar levels, see
Diabetes.
Extract of Salacia oblonga lowers acute glycemia
in patients with type 2 diabetes
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
2007. Jennifer A Williams, Yong S Choe, Michael J Noss, Carl J Baumgartner. From the Ross Products Division of Abbott
Laboratories, Columbus, OH; Radiant Research, Cincinnati, OH, and Radiant
Research, Edina, MN.
This study evaluated the effect of an herbal extract of Salacia oblonga on
postprandial glycemia and insulinemia in patients with type 2 diabetes
after ingestion of a high-carbohydrate meal. Sixty-six patients with
diabetes were studied in this randomized, double-blinded crossover study.
In a fasted state, subjects consumed 1 of the following 3 meals: a
standard liquid control meal, a control meal + 240 mg Salacia oblonga
extract, and a control meal + 480 mg Salacia oblonga extract. Both doses
of the Salacia extract significantly lowered the postprandial positive
area under the glucose curve (14% for the 240 mg extract and 22% for the
480 mg extract) and the adjusted peak glucose response (19% for the lower
dose and 27% for the higher dose of extract) to the control meal. In
addition, both doses of the salacia extract significantly decreased the
postprandial insulin response, lowering both the positive area under the
insulin curve and the adjusted peak insulin response (14% and 9%,
respectively, for the 240 mg extract; 19% and 12%, respectively, for the
480 mg extract) in comparison with the control meal.
J Clin Diagn Res. 2012. Antidiabetic and hypolipidemic effect of salacia oblonga in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats.
Breast cancer
Physiol Mol Biol Plants. 2015. Phytochemicals of Salacia oblonga responsible
for free radical scavenging and antiproliferative activity against breast cancer
cell lines Salacia oblonga, an inhabitant of tropical regions has been
used in traditional Indian medicinal systems. Phytochemicals were extracted in
methanol from the plant and analyzed for various biological activities. The
results of biochemical tests for total phenolics and flavonoids in the aerial
and root parts were indicated as Gallic acid and quercetin equivalents
respectively.
Research
An herb long used in traditional Indian medicine appears to control the rise
in blood sugar that follows a meal -- suggesting, researchers say, that it could
help treat or even prevent type 2 diabetes.
Their study of 39 adults without diabetes found that a beverage made from the
herb, known as Salacia oblonga, stemmed participants' normal post-meal rise in
blood sugar. There was a similar reduction in blood levels of insulin, which
helps shuttle sugar from the blood and into cells to be used for energy.
The herb, according to the study authors, seems to work similarly to oral
diabetes drugs known as alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, which impede the body's
absorption of carbohydrates.
The study, which was funded by Columbus-based Abbott Laboratories, is published
in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
The next step is to test Salacia oblonga's ability to slow post-meal sugar
absorption in people with diabetes, study co-author Dr. Steven R. Hertzler an assistant professor of nutrition at Ohio State University in
Columbus. For their study, the researchers had 39 healthy adults drink four different
liquid meals on four separate days. Three of the beverages had varying doses of Salacia oblonga, along with generous portions of protein, carbohydrates, fat and
fiber; the fourth beverage did not contain the herb.
The researchers found that the drink with the largest Salacia oblonga dose --
1,000 milligrams -- cut the participants' post-meal blood sugar rise by about
one-quarter compared with sugar levels after the herb-free drink. An even larger
decline was seen in insulin levels. Good blood sugar control is vital in
diabetes because it reduces the risk of long-term complications such as kidney
dysfunction, heart disease, vision loss and nerve damage. The hope is that Salacia oblonga
can help diabetics maintain healthy blood sugar levels over time, and thereby
help prevent complications. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, January 2005.
Salacia oblonga side effects
Early indications suggest that salacia oblonga may cause gas and cramping
owing to its effects on carbohydrate absorption.
Safety evaluation of an extract from Salacia oblonga.
Food Chem Toxicol. 2003.
Ross Products Division of Abbott Laboratories, Department, Columbus, OH , USA.
We evaluated the safety of a hot water extract of S. oblonga (salacinol extract)
supplemented to or processed into a medical food. Thirty male Sprague-Dawley
rats were assigned among one of three treatments: (1) EN-0178 (control, liquid
diet), (2) EN-0178+salacinol (as 1 plus 500 mg of salacinol extract per 253 g
diet, which was added to product immediately prior to feeding), (3) EN-0195 (as
1 plus 500 mg of salacinol extract per 253 g diet, which was added during
product manufacture). After 14 days of free access to dietary treatments, rats
were sacrificed, blood collected and organs weighed. Rats consuming salacinol
extract had reduced weight gain and feed intake. We conclude that salacinol
extract, in a medical food consumed for 2 weeks in amounts estimated at 10-fold
greater than proposed for human intake, did not result in clinical chemistry or
histopathologic indications of toxic effects in male Sprague-Dawley rats.
Questions
Q. I have a 126 pulse rate, had a EKG no heart disease at all just a fast pulse
rate. I am a diabetic and control my sugar with a Indian herb salacia oblonga
with good results. I was told fish oil capsules will raise my blood sugar
compared to using flax seed oil capsules to help control pulse rate. Could you
please advise me on this matter.
A. We are not aware of fish oil raising blood sugar, you may ask
the person who told you this to show the research.
An herb long used in traditional Indian medicine appears to control
the rise in blood sugar that follows a meal. Researchers contend that this
could help treat or even prevent type 2 diabetes. Their study of 39 adults
without diabetes found that a beverage made from the herb, known as
Salacia oblonga, stemmed participants' normal post-meal rise in blood
sugar. There was a similar reduction in blood levels of insulin, which
helps shuttle sugar from the blood and into cells to be used for energy.
The herb, according to the study authors, seems to work similarly to oral
diabetes drugs known as alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, which impede the
body's absorption of carbohydrates. The study, which was funded by
Columbus-based Abbott Laboratories, is published in the Journal of the
American Dietetic Association.
I have read
that the suggested dosage for Salacia is 2,500 to 5,000 mg , or the equivalent
in extract. I have found it available in in two extract forms. Both are
capsules. One contains 500mg of 5:1 extract, the other is 500mg of 20:1 extract.
I do not understand what “equivalent” meant in this case. Which of these would
be the equivalent? Should they be taken with meals? Or just at intervals
throughout day to “build up” in your system? I am under the care of a licensed
nutritionist. She is not familiar with the uses of this herb and needs more info
to guide me.
Research in the Western world with this herb is quite limited and
not much is known about the best way to use it or which potency extract is
ideal. There are many companies who sell it and each has their own way of
extracting the active substances within it. At this point it is difficult to
know or rely on claims of 5:1 or 20:1 since no standards are available that tell
us what exactly is meant by these numbers and what they actually contain in
terms of the concentration of active chemicals in the plant. Therefore, for
practical purposes, if a person wishes to take this herb, one approach is to
begin with once capsule a day and monitor over time what the effects are and to
increase the dosage as required.