May 13, 2022

What is Mulberry Leaf Extract?

There are several factors which increase your risk to diabetes like family history, being overweight, unhealthy eating habits, sedentary lifestyle and increasing age (1).

If you think you are at risk of developing diabetes, and are at a look out for natural ways to manage the risk, look no further.

Mulberry plant is a famous medicinal plant known to mankind since ancient times. Different parts of the plant are used for various beneficial purposes. The mulberry fruit is edible and is used in the manufacturing of jams, jellies and juices. The leaves are used to make herbal tea

which is considered as a healthy beverage among Asian countries where this plant is usually found like China, Japan, Korea and India. Traditionally various parts of the mulberry tree, including root bark, leaves and fruits, have been used for the treatment of cough, fever, high blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and diabetes. (2)

Mulberry leaves contain numerous bioactive compounds which include flavonoids, phenols, antioxidants etc along with special active components with various health benefits. (3) The leaves are dried and their extract is obtained using processes such as high-pressure extraction, microwave, supercritical extraction etc (4) Mulberry Leaf Extract (MLE) is shown to reduce post-meal insulin spike by virtue of its effect on lowering blood sugar spike after meal. It therefore helps manage the risk of diabetes. (3)

References

The information on MLE is sourced from the following scientific journals

1. International Diabetes Federation. Available at https://idf.org/52-aboutdiabetes/451-diabetes-risk-factors.html. Accessed on 25th January 2022

2. Thaipitakwong, T., Numhom, S., & Aramwit, P. (2018). Mulberry leaves and their potential effects against cardiometabolic risks: a review of chemical compositions, biological properties and clinical efficacy. Pharmaceutical biology, 56(1), 109–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/13880209.2018.1424210

3. Wang, R., Li, Y., Mu, W., Li, Z., Sun, J., Wang, B., Zhong, Z., Luo, X., Xie, C., & Huang, Y. (2018). Mulberry leaf extract reduces the glycemic indexes of four common dietary carbohydrates. Medicine, 97(34), e11996.
https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000011996

4. Sarkhel, Shubhajit & Manvi, Dronachari. (2020). Processing of mulberry leaves: A review. 9. 859-865. 10.22271/chemi.2021.v9.i1l.11335.