Ampalaya for diabetes? – 1

Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, on January 29, 2008, issued a circular, rescinding a previous one released in 2003, reinstating ampalaya (Momordica charantia) on the Department of Health’s list of “scientifically validated herbal medicinal plants.”

The reason cited for his decision was the “recent evidence on the clinical efficacy of ampalaya against diabetes mellitus.” The basis was the “clinical trials conducted by scientists at the University of the Philippines in Manila and Los Baños which have found that leaves of ampalaya growing in Mt. Makiling are comparable to synthetic drugs for diabetes…Other studies have established that ampalaya fruits and seeds have medicinal properties.”

Not Potent Enough by Itself

As we have written in this column on September 15, 2003 (The Brewing Bitter Controversy), “while ampalaya has the property to lower blood sugar, eating ampalaya or taking any of those ampalaya preparations (capsules, tea, etc) being marketed as herbal alternative “cure” for diabetes, alone and by themselves (in lieu of prescription medications for diabetes), is not effective enough to adequately and safely treat diabetes.”

Announcing that ampalaya has been “scientifically validated herbal medicinal plants” is fine, but saying that the “ampalaya leaves are comparable to synthetic drugs for diabetes” is dangerously confusing to the lay persons. That statement should be qualified for public safety.

Ref:  dailyinquirer