Affiliations 

  • 1 Nuffield Department of Clinical Biochemistry, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford, U.K
J Ethnopharmacol, 1989 Nov;27(1-2):149-61.
PMID: 2693839 DOI: 10.1016/0378-8741(89)90087-1

Abstract

In Malaysia, an aqueous extract of Tinospora crispa stems is taken orally to treat diabetes mellitus. In the present study, normal and alloxan-diabetic rats were used to evaluate the hypoglycaemic properties of the extract. A hypoglycaemic effect was observed in moderately diabetic rats with concomitant improvement in insulinaemia. After a 2-week treatment with the extract (4 g/l in the drinking water), these rats also showed improvement in glucose tolerance. Moreover, acute intravenous treatment with the extract (50 mg/kg) caused an increase in plasma insulin levels. The data support the traditional belief that T. crispa extract could improve diabetic conditions by virtue of its action on the endocrine pancreas.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.