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(Health Secrets) A simple tea, long used as treatment in traditional Nigerian medicine, is showning great promise as an effective natural treatment for type 2 diabetis. This tea is produced from the combination of an extract of Rauvolfia Vomitoria, common known as poison devil`s-pepper, and the fruit of Citrus aurantium, commonly known as bitter orange. Researches have recently begun testing this tea on patients with type 2 diabetes and the results are promising.
Much of the research on the Rauvolfia Vomitoria and Citrus aurantium (RC) tea is being done at the University of Copenhagen. The team has shown that a combination of calorie restriction and ongoing use of RC tea administered to mice with type 2 diabetes resulted in normalization of blood sugar, reduction in lipid accumulation in the eyes, and prevention of degeneration of the pancreas.
In their latest study the RC tea was produced using the traditional Nigerian recipe and tested in the traditional dosage on 23 human subjects with type 2 diabetes. The participants were divided into two equivalent groups in a 4 month double-blind , placebo-controlled and randomized clinical trial. They drank 750ml (about 3 cups) of the tea each day.
At the end of the 4 month treatment period, the treated group showed an 11% decrease in plasma glucose compared to a 3% increase in the placebo group. A 10% reduction in fasting plasma glucose was observed in the treated group. The treated group also showed modifications to the fatty acid profile of skeletal muscle, without adverse effects or hypoglycemia.
“In the patient group who drank the tea, the number of polyunsaturated fatty acids increased. That is good for the body`s cells because the polyunsaturated fat causes the cell membranes to be more permeable, which results in the cells absorbing glucose better from the blood,” said Joan Campbell-Tofte.
Rauvolfia Vomitoria is a multi dimensional healer
In addition to treating type 2 diabetes, a few other uses for Rauvolfia Vomitoria in African medicine include treatment for hypertension, normalization of heart rate, bleeding, and parasites. It is used as an aphrodisiac and antidepressant. The word poison in its common name is there because although small doses provide beneficial effects, larger doses can lead to undesirable side effects.
Medicinal uses for the Citrus aurantium include treatments for nausea, indigestion, insomnia, nasal congestion and weight loss. Bitter orange contains the chemical synephrine which is structurally similar to ephedra. The oil in the peel contains most of the medicinal compounds.
In traditional African medicine, the leaves, young stalks and fruit of the RC plants are harvested, boiled, and then the mixture is filtered. The resultant liquid is then used as medicine.
For more information:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20955771
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rauvolfia
http://www.nutritional-supplement-educational-centre.com/bitter-orang..
Published with permission from AlignLife. Original article link is here.
