Supplements of the Indian herbal Coccinia indica may reduce blood sugar levels by about 20 per cent, says a new study from India that adds to the Indian herb linked potential to aid diabetics.A one gram daily dose of C. indica extract led to an 18 per cent reduction in blood sugar levels after meals, according to a double blind, placebo control, randomised study published in the journal Diabetes Care.The study adds to an ever-growing body of evidence behind the herb's benefits for diabetics, highlighted a few years back in a review by researchers from the Harvard Medical School. They stated that Coccinia indica had the most evidence supporting their potential benefits, with results available from adequately designed randomised controlled trials (RCTs).The authors, led by Rebecca Kuriyan from Institute of Population Health and Clinical Research, Bangalore, recruited 60 people with mild type-2 diabetics (age range 35-60) and randomly assigned them to receive either the one gram C. indica extract or placebo for 90 days. The extract was obtained using alcohol.
