Banana leaves: regulate blood sugar and treat obesity

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Extract from the article: The banana plant is best known for its fruit. But in reality, every part of the banana plant has enormous health benefits. Often overlooked is the fact that the leaves are also sources of health benefits for the body.

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The banana plant is best known for its fruit. But in reality, every part of the banana plant has enormous health benefits. Often overlooked is the fact that the leaves are also sources of health benefits for the body.

The leaves contain over 40 useful compounds, among which corrosal and ellagic acids stand out.  Africans, particularly the Togolese and Beninese, use the green leaves of the banana tree to wrap cooked or stewed foods, notably "akpan". To do this, they are first put over the fire to soften them. If not, they are dried out and used to wrap other foods, such as cassava sticks in Central Africa. This is only done in Africa, and the leaves also replace utensils. In some Asian countries, such as Thailand, people use them as umbrellas. Its fiber-rich stem is used to make ropes for fishing nets.

Helps control blood sugar levels

The anti-diabetic effect of banana leaves is one of the reasons why they are so popular.Researchers attribute this effect to several compounds, namely corrosive acid, ellagitanins and gallotanins.According to the article "Inventaire et caractérisation des plantes médicinales utilisées en thérapeutique dans le département de la Sanaga Maritime: Ndom, Ngambe et Pouma (Cameroun)" by scientist Nnanga Nga and his peers, published in the Journal of Applied Biosciences, corosolic acid lowers blood sugar levels by increasing insulin sensitivity and glucose intake, and by inhibiting alpha-glucosidase, an enzyme that helps digest carbohydrates.  It therefore has a similar effect to insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.

In addition to corrosolic acid, the ellagitannins lagerstroemin, flosin B and reginin A also improve blood sugar levels.They promote glucose absorption by activating the type 4 glucose transporter, a protein that transports glucose from the bloodstream to muscle and fat cells.

Recipe: Take 1 dried banana leaf and crush to a powder.Boil 0.5 liters of water and turn off the heat.Add 2 spoonfuls of the leaf powder.Leave to stand for a while and drink at lukewarm temperature, 1 glass in the morning before eating and in the evening after dinner.

Effective against obesity

Obesity and overweight are a public health problem in Togo and around the world.According to statistics, 21.6% of the Togolese population is overweight or obese.Obesity remains a risk factor for chronic disease.Recent research associates banana leaves with anti-obesity activities, as they can inhibit adipogenesis and lipogenesis, the production of fat cells and fat molecules. This action was the subject of a study entitled "Plantes médicinales du Nord de Madagascar.Ethnobotanique antakarana et informations scientifiques 296 p. (2012)" by Nicolas J.-P. in Madagascar.In addition, polyphenols in the leaves, such as pentagalloylglucose, can prevent fat cell precursors from transforming into mature fat cells.

Recipe: Take yellow banana leaves.Place in 2 liters of water and boil for 15-20 minutes. Leave to stand and take 1 cup in the morning before breakfast and in the evening after dinner.

 Raymond DZAKPATA