This Ancient Flower Naturally Treats Diabetes
Scientists and medical researchers have discovered a Middle Eastern plant called sharp varthemia that is believed to cure diabetes, mainly type-2 diabetes (diabetes mellitus) naturally without the need to use injections or drugs.
This plant, which is an aromatic shrub is also called Chiliadenus iphionoides or goldilocks. It has a stocky furry-like stem that yields spiny yellow flowers. Diabetes mellitus is ranked as the seventh deadly disease in the U.S.
Scientists have found extracts from the plant in both animal and cellular models that have anti-diabetic activities. Mainly aiding in improved absorption of sugar into the fat and muscle cells and also reduction of blood sugar levels.
Though the plant is not the only cure for diabetes, its extracts have shown increased secretion of insulin in the body cells and also increased absorption of glucose in the adipocytes and the skeletal myotubes, displaying hypoglycemic activities.
Other than these, the plant extracts reduce bad signs and symptoms of diabetes.
The synergy of the plant is way beyond the understanding of any scientist. Therefore, explaining the mysteries behind its ability of natural healing and the mechanism into which the anti-diabetic action takes place is yet to be determined.
The scientists carried out a test on the plant effects using a particular rat, Negev rodent using nutritionally synthesized models of diabetes.
The blood-glucose levels immediately returned to normal once a glucose tolerance test was given orally to the animals that had earlier been fed on Chiliadenus iphionoides.
The scientists also did a long-term study by mixing the plant with the rodents’ food which showed positive effects.
Scientists’ main efforts, however, are focused on isolating the plant’s active compounds and ensure that these compounds are there when the plant is transferred and grown in a greenhouse rather than have it growing in the wild as a shrub.
They will have to find a way to get the plant's ingredients, though the plant itself is misleading since it has a host of bioactive components that are believed to synthetically work to help in curing the disease. This is because this plant is rare and only found in Jordan and Sinai.
Despite the efforts to find a way to grow the plant in greenhouses, scientists together with drug companies are determined to isolate the components of the plant in order to synthesize them and turn them into a patent, corporate-owned pharmaceutical medicine instead of promoting the natural plant as a patients’ therapeutic option.
This is being done because natural plants can’t be patented and no profits will be realized by selling sharp varthemia as a whole. This is because the US Food and Drug Administration would ban the plant from sales by having it branded as an “unapproved drug”.
In the case of plant research, scientists experiment on basis of drug companies to find the healing components and make medicine from them if the results are positive. Vaccines and pills are then made and profits are realized in the name of pharmaceutical businesses.