What Doctors Don't Tell YouIt was also a good week for herbal medicine after researchers found that it offered ‘real benefits’. Scientists at King’s College London tested a variety of herbal remedies, and found that they could help treat conditions such as diabetes and cancer.
The curry leaf tree (Murraya koenigii) was singled out for special mention as an effective treatment for diabetes. It seems to restrict the action of the digestive enzyme pancreatic alpha-amylase, which helps break down dietary starch to glucose.
A diabetic does not produce enough insulin to deal with rapid rises in blood glucose levels, so slowing the rate of starch breakdown can help establish a more even release of glucose.
The findings are not particularly startling, especially as many pharmaceutical drugs are based on herbal remedies, and herbal medicine follows a similar paradigm to allopathic medicine.
It is all the more surprising, therefore, that Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at Exeter University, should give the findings no more than the most cautious of welcomes. Oddly, Prof Ernst does not seem to be much of an advocate for the medicine he represents, but we’re sure it’s just a matter of time.
Hyla Cass MD
Daniel Redwood DC