No, that’s not a typo. We’re talking about banaba leaves, not banana leaves. You may not have heard of this plant before and that’s because the banaba plant is native to southeast Asia. In this part of the world, it’s been used in traditional medicine for years. Recently, it’s been getting attention for its ability to fight lifestyle diseases. Here’s how it may help.
Benefits Of Banaba Leaves
1. Helps Control Diabetes
Studies have shown that banaba leaves can be effective in controlling type 2 diabetes. Studies show that banaba leaves show their effect of reducing blood sugar levels within 60 minutes after consumption. Researchers think that this may be because corosolic acid and ellagitannins in these leaves help us use insulin more effectively.1
2. Lowers Cholesterol
Studies show that banaba leaves can help fight the cholesterol increasing properties of sugar. In rats, the corosolic acid was effective in reducing cholesterol levels by up to 30%. Studies show that corosolic acid can actually inhibit the absorption of cholesterol right from the small intestine.2
3. Fights Fatty Liver Disease
After feeding rats a high cholesterol diet for 10 weeks, research showed that corosolic acid was effective in reducing nearly half of the fat content in their livers.3 There have been no adverse reactions reported in the animals so it looks promising as a treatment for humans with fatty liver disease.
4. Lowers Blood Pressure
Corosolic acid exhibits anti-hypertensive activity as well. This means that it has the potential to reduce blood pressure levels. Animal studies have shown that it is effective in treating hypertension without adverse effects so it could be a potential treatment for humans as well.4
5. Aids Weight Loss
With all of these great health benefits, it’s hardly surprising that banaba leaves are a great weight loss aid as well. Researchers noticed that obese rats who were fed banaba extract showed significant amount of weight loss. Roughly 10% in fact over a span 3 months.5 If you think that doesn’t sound like much, try scaling it up. 10% of a 175 pounds is 17.5 pounds. That’s a significant amount of weight loss for rats that did not change their diets or amount of physical activity. Further studies are needed but perhaps, one day, the banaba extract could be used in weight loss regimes.
6. Shows Antioxidant Activity
The banaba leaf extract has exhibited anti-inflammatory activity. This means that it helps fight the damaging processes that cause cell damage and encourage the production of cancerous cells. Corosolic acid has also been shown to increase the production of cancer killing enzymes. This effect has been observed against human cervical cancer cells as of now.6 In rats, the extract was shown to reduce oxidative stress or in other words, it showed antioxidant activity to help counteract the effect of free radicals.7 8
Caution
- Do not try to self-medicate or treat your condition with the use of banaba leaves. Always talk to your physician before including any sort of supplements into your daily routine.
- If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, do not try this herbal remedy. There is not enough research to confirm that it is safe for the fetus during pregnancy, or for the infant while breastfeeding.
- Banaba leaves can interact with drugs with hypoglycemic properties(medication that reduces blood sugar). This may cause your blood sugar levels to dip dangerously low. Talk to your doctor to confirm if you take any such medication.
The banaba leaf is not native to the western world, so the only form that it may be easily available in, is supplements. Talk to your doctor to see if banaba leaf supplements are the right choice for you.
References
