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Chinese tonic helps to control type 2 diabetes |
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by news.scotsman.com
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01 August 2006 |
The natural plant product known as berberine has been documented in Chinese literature as having a blood sugar lowering effect in people with type 2 diabetes, but it was not known why it has this effect.
Now an international team from China, Korea and Australia has demonstrated how berberine helps diabetics. In tests on animals, the researchers from the Garvan Institute in Sydney found berberine was interacting with the body chemistry. They believe the product could be a valuable new treatment, especially where traditional drugs fail, though it would need to undergo properly evaluated clinical trials before entering widespread use.
The Australian researchers said there were already medicines to help treat type 2 diabetes, but these could have side-effects or cause weight gain. Professor David James, the head of Garvan's diabetes and obesity research programme, said: "Berberine has been used for decades, if not centuries, with few reported side-effects.
"Given the limitations of existing medicines we are excited to have evidence that berberine may be a helpful new treatment for type 2 diabetes."
Tom Williams, a Chinese medicine practitioner in Glasgow, said he believed that Chinese approaches were effective in treating diabetics. "In terms of treating the condition, there is no question that Chinese medicine with acupuncture and herbs can be helpful," he said.
Source:
http://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=1112382006 |
