OTHER NAMES
• Queen’s Crape Myrtle • Queen’s
Flower • Pride of India •
Lagerstroemia speciosa
Banaba is a type of crape myrtle that grows in the Philippines, India, Malaysia, and Australia. This tropical, flowering tree has bright pink to purple blooms that give way to nut-like fruits. Its leathery leaves turn red-orange in the fall. As part of folk medicine in the Philippines, banaba leaves are used to make a tea to treat diabetes.
USES
Recently, banaba has become popular in the United States as treatment for type 2 diabetes. Its leaves are used to make an oral form of the supplement, found as a single ingredient or as one of several ingredients in dietary supplements. Banaba’s active ingredients are thought to stimulate cells to take up glucose and work similarly to insulin.
However, banaba’s effect on blood glucose has not been confirmed in large, rigorous, long-term studies. Its effect on A1C, a measure of average blood glucose over 3 months, has never been reported. No information on its long-term use in people is available.
Banaba is used in multi-ingredient products for weight loss, though it has never been studied for this purpose in humans. Its potential for weight loss is based on studies in animals.
Banaba leaves are also used as a diuretic and purgative (used to empty the bowels) supplement. Its roots are used to treat upset stomach.
DOSE
In studies, scientists have used banaba in doses of 16–48 mg daily. The most effective dose in one small study was a daily 48-mg soft-gel capsule containing 1% corsolic acid.
STUDIES
One very small One very small study indicates that banaba may be helpful in lowering blood glucose in those with type 2 diabetes. However, the authors only reported percentage lowering of blood glucose and did not report the actual values.
• The study examined 10 patients with type 2 diabetes who took three different doses of banaba (16, 32, or 48 mg) in soft-or hard-gel capsules for 15 days. The patients stopped taking their regular diabetes medications 45 days before the study. At the end of the study, the patients taking the 32-and 48-mg soft gels showed an 11% and 30% decrease, respectively, in their basal blood glucose values. In addition, patients taking the 48-mg dose had a significant decrease of 20% in their basal blood glucose.
SIDE EFFECTS AND DRUG INTERACTIONS
No adverse effects or drug interactions with banaba have been reported. However, a person should be cautious about low blood glucose when taking banaba with diabetes medications or other dietary supplements that may lower blood glucose. As with any supplement, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you’re planning to take or are taking banaba.