Glucocil Studies
A. Early Interest
Glucocil originated as an unplanned outcome of hearing that three of our friends had been diagnosed with diabetes. This sparked our interest in the question of blood sugar control and the existence, if any, of natural, safe remedies. After our extensive review of diabetes-related research and multiple contacts with experts in the U.S. and abroad, a doctor in China suggested we consider mulberry leaf. We also learned that the Japanese had already developed a mulberry leaf drink for sugar control.
B. Early Studies
Accordingly, we began investigating the mulberry leaf, which had a long history of use in Chinese food and traditional medicine. Various unpublished pilot studies demonstrated its safety, as well as its efficacy in reducing carbohydrate and blood glucose levels in animals and humans. These pilot studies (as of 2005) included:
1. Animal: Various toxicology (safety) studies. Two studies on the effects of reducing blood glucose levels after oral intake of sucrose in male and female rats; one study on the efficacy of reducing postprandial blood glucose.
2. Human: (a) Three studies on the effects of reducing blood glucose after oral intake of sucrose; (b) an analysis of postprandial plasma glucose in healthy, normal humans; (c) effects of different dosages on blood glucose levels; (d) effects on blood glucose after-meal and sucrose intake; and (e) blood glucose improvement levels with Type II diabetic subjects.
C. Major Studies
The first published study of the mulberry leaf extract used in Glucocil appeared in 2006 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.* One of the purposes of the study was to determine the ability of mulberry leaf extract to help reduce the absorption of carbohydrate in healthy volunteers. The study was conducted by researchers at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center/Dept. of Medicine, University of Minnesota. The statistically significant results provided the basis for other experiments to determine if the extract had practical utility in helping to treat diabetes.
[See “For Health Professionals” for the study Abstract.]
* Zhong L, Furne JK, Levitt MD. An extract of black, green, and mulberry teas causes malabsorption of carbohydrate but not of triacylclycerol in healthy volunteers. Am J Clin Nutr 2006; 84:551–5.
The second published study of the mulberry leaf extract used in Glucocil was published in Diabetes Care* in 2007. The purpose of this study was to determine if its co-ingestion (with 75 grams of sucrose) influenced the blood glucose response and sucrose absorption in both healthy control subjects and people with Type II diabetes. The study was conducted by researchers at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center/Dept. of Medicine, University of Minnesota; the results showed that co-ingestion of mulberry extract significantly reduced the increase and fluctuation of observed blood glucose in both groups of subjects. [See “For Health Professionals” for the study Abstract and journal article.]
* Mudra M, Ercan-Fang N, Zhong L, Furne J, Levitt MD. Influence of mulberry leaf extract on the blood glucose and breath hydrogen response to ingestion of 75g sucrose by type 2 diabetic and control subjects. Diabetes Care 2007; 30 (5):1272–4.
D. Anecdotal Evidence
In addition to the above, informal testing of the herbal formulation has gone on for years. See Success Stories.
Glucocil Ingredients
Mulberry Leaf Extract
Mulberry (Morus alba) leaf, the food of silkworms, has been used as a healthful food ingredient for humans in India. It has also been used in Chinese traditional medicine for hundreds of years as a “cooling” herb to “remove excessive heats and toxins from the body.” In recent years, there has been considerable interest in its anti-diabetic properties. Studies have shown, among other things, that alkaloids and N-containing sugars isolated from mulberry leaves are potent inhibitors of alpha glucosidase, a key enzyme in carbohydrate and sugar metabolism pathways.
The health benefits of mulberry leaf extracts, however, vary greatly with differences in extraction methods. Research shows that some extracts have basically no effects on blood glucose, while others are as (or even more) effective than the pharmaceutical drug, Acarbose. The proprietary mulberry extract developed for use in the Glucocil formula is discussed in the above Glucocil Studies. Animal and human clinical studies have shown its safety and efficacy in decreasing after-meal blood glucose in both diabetic and non-diabetic subjects, and in significantly reducing carbohydrate absorption.
Dozens of selected references on Mulberry leaf extract can be found by clicking on the titles below. They have been grouped into the following categories:
Mulberry Leaf as Human Food
Mulberry Leaves as Antioxidants and Neuroprotective Agents
Mulberry Leaf in Lowering Lipidemia and Improving Blood Vessel Health
Mulberry Leaf and Blood Sugar Management
Cissus Sicyoides (Insulina)
Cissus sicyoides (princess vine) is a perennial vine native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, where it has been used in folk medicine for a variety of ailments, including diabetes. In Brazil, the vine is also called Insulina because of its effectiveness in diabetes management. Brazilian laboratory (animal) studies show that Insulina significantly reduces blood triglyceride and glucose levels, thus suggesting it may be capable of improving insulin insensitivity.
Several Japanese studies have found that Cissus sicyoides inhibits maltase, an enzyme needed to convert maltose into glucose during digestion. Since maltose and sucrose are the main carbohydrate (starch and sugar) end products that people ingest, Glucocil’s combination of Cissus sicyoides and mulberry leaf extract (an alpha Glucosidase inhibitor) enables a more complete carbohydrate absorption block effect.
Selected references on Cissus Sicyoides (Insulina) can be found by clicking on the titles below. They have been grouped into the following categories:
Cissus sicyoides in Folk Medicine
Cissus sicyoides in Reducing Blood Triglycerides
Cissus sicyoides and Diabetes
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Alpha lipoic acid is a completely natural small molecule found deep inside every cell of the body, where it serves as an important regulator of cellular energy. Alpha lipoic acid is also a potent antioxidant with proven effectiveness in reducing neuronal destruction caused by oxidative stress and high blood sugar levels. In Europe, alpha lipoic acid is approved for relieving diabetes-related nerve damage.
After test tube and animal studies found that alpha lipoic acid helped insulin move glucose from blood into body cells, German scientists showed (in 1995) it was able to improve “glucose disposal” in Type II diabetic patients. Since then, multiple double-blind, placebo-controlled human studies have confirmed its effectiveness in improving insulin sensitivity in people with Type II diabetes. In Glucocil, alpha lipoic acid, along with Chromium and Banaba leaf extract, is used to improve insulin sensitivity.
Dozens of references on alpha lipoic acid can be found by clicking on the titles below. They have been grouped into the following categories:
Alpha Lipoic Acid Improves Insulin Sensitivity
Alpha Lipoic Acid in Relieving Diabetes-related Nerve Damage
Alpha Lipoic Acid as Mitochondrial Antioxidant
Cissus Quadrangularis
Cissus quadrangularis, a succulent vine native to Southeast Asia and West Africa, has been used in traditional medicine for more than a century. In India, for example, it is commonly used for stomach ulcers and fracture healing. More recently, there has been considerable interest in its role in fighting obesity. Its unique chemical constituents show promise as potent antioxidants and as efficient lipase and amylase inhibitors. This provides a mechanism for weight loss by means of carbohydrate and dietary fat blocking, and reduced oxidative stress. A study showing the ability of a water extract of the plant to control weight recommended that patients take the product just before eating.
In-house testing found that alcohol-extracted Cissus quadrangularis has a stronger appetite- suppressing effect than water extract, and that the effect is strongest when the product is taken one hour before food. Hence, alcohol-extracted Cissus quadrangularis was included in the Glucocil formulation to help suppress appetite and reduce food intake.
Selected references on Cissus quadrangularis can be found by clicking on the titles below. They have been grouped into the following categories:
Cissus Quadrangularis Inhibits Gastric Acid Secretion
Anti-Ulcer (antacid) Drugs Reduce Appetite and Weight Gain
Cissus Quadrangularis and Weight Loss
Banaba Leaf Extract
Banaba, a tropical plant grown in the Philippines, is used in local areas as a folk medicine therapy for diabetes. Scientific studies have demonstrated its effectiveness in managing diabetes. Researchers have found that Banaba extract not only reduces blood sugar levels but may also control hypertension and high lipidemia, two problems found in metabolic syndrome, a widespread medical condition resulting from insulin resistance.
To-date, corosolic acid appears to be the major active ingredient in Banaba leaf. Studies have shown that it improves insulin sensitivity by facilitating the glucose transporter, one important part of the insulin signaling pathway. Banaba may also inhibit the body’s ability to produce glucose from proteins and lipids. Mulberry and Banaba leaf extracts have been shown to have a synergistic effect in improving glucose metabolism.
Selected references on Banaba leaf can be found by clicking on the titles below. They have been grouped into the following categories:
Banaba and its Mechanisms in Glucose Metabolism
Banaba and Mulberry Leaves
Banaba and Diabetes
Chromium Polyniconate
Chromium, a nutritious natural trace element, is found in the human body and in foods such as fish and nuts. Whether natural or man-made, chromium exists in different salt forms (e.g., chromium polynicotinate, chromium picolinate, chromium chloride, etc.), all probably having similar biological functions. Ever since research showed that chromium improves insulin sensitivity, there has been interest in evaluating its use in managing diabetes.
Although several clinical studies have shown that chromium is effective in managing overweight, high blood cholesterol and diabetes, patient characteristics (phenotypes) greatly influence the outcome. In vitro and animal studies suggest the outcome is more beneficial when chromium is used in combination with antioxidants (e.g., alpha lipoic acid) as in the Glucocil formulation.
Selected references on Chromium can be found by clicking on the titles below. They have been grouped into the following categories:
Chromium Levels in the Human Body
Chromium Clinical Studies
Biological Function of Various Types of Chromium
Molecular Mechanisms of Chromium
Chromium Used in Combination with Alpha Lipoic Acid
Vitamin B1 and B6
Vitamin B1 is an important vitamin involved in carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism. It influences the energy production process.
Vitamin B6 is an important vitamin involved in protein metabolism.
More recently, it was found that the combination of B1 and B6 is effective in inhibiting the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), harmful glucose/protein complexes formed by high blood glucose levels, especially dramatic blood glucose fluctuations. It is recognized that AGEs damage blood vessel and nerve ends which eventually lead to diabetic complications.
Vitamin B1 and B6 References
Folic Acid and Vitamin B12
The traditional use of Vitamin B12 is to help maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells. Human studies have showed that B12 may help reduce symptoms, such as pain, caused by diabetic nerve damage.
However, vitamin B12, especially when used together with folic acid, may provide more important help to people having diabetes:
Homocysteine is an amino acid like molecule found in human blood. High level of homocysteine in blood indicates an increased risk of cardiovascular complications; and diabetes raises blood homocysteine level.
High homocysteinemia is found to be associated with B12 deficiency. Multiple clinical studies have demonstrated that the combined use of Vitamin B12 and folic acid reduces homocysteine levels in blood.
Vitamin B12 and Diabetes-related Nerve Damage
Diabetes and Homocysteine Level and B12 deficiency
Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid in Managing Homocysteine Levels
