(NaturalNews) Extracts of the Indian herb Coccinia indica reduced blood sugar levels by almost 20 percent in a study conducted by researchers from the Institute of Population Health and Clinical Research in Bangalore and published in the journal Diabetes Care.
C. indica is also known by the scientific names C. cordifolia and C. grandis and the common names kundru, dondakaya, kovakkai and tindora, among many others.
Researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind study on 60 patients with mild Type 2 diabetes that was being controlled with diet and not drugs. Half the participants were given a one-gram C. indica extract each day, while half were given a placebo.
After 90 days, the participants who had received the herbal extract had 16 percent lowered fasting blood glucose levels and 18 percent lowered post-prandial (after meal) blood glucose levels. There were no changes observed in the level of blood fats.
The researchers said they did not know what it was about the plant that had caused the beneficial effect.
"This study suggests that C. cordifolia extract has a potential hypoglycemic action in patients with mild diabetes," the researchers said. "However, further studies are needed to elucidate mechanisms of action."
C. indica is a gourd plant native to India, where it is used as a vegetable. According to the researchers, a person would have to eat 50 grams (2 ounces) of the cooked vegetable per day to receive the same benefit as taking 1 gram of the extract.
A prior study, conducted by researchers at the Harvard Medical School, reviewed the data on C. indica and concluded that a respectable body of evidence has accumulated supporting the plant's benefits in the treatment of diabetes.
Approximately 20 million people in the United States suffer from diabetes, or 7 percent of the population. According to the American Diabetes Association, the medical costs associated with the disease amount to $132 billion per year, with $92 billion of this going to medication alone.
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