Mangosteen Peel Extract Herbal Medicine for Lowering Blood Sugar

Researchers from the Faculty of Pharmacy, Airlangga University developed a product made from cat's whiskers to lower blood sugar.

KHAERUL ANWAR

Mangosteen fruit produced by the farming center in Lingsar Village, Lingsar District, West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, which was exported to China on Tuesday (12/17/2019).

The number of people with diabetes is predicted to continue to increase. In 2021, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) recorded the number of people with diabetes worldwide reaching 537 million. This figure is predicted to increase to 643 million by 2030.

The increase in the number of diabetes patients is also predicted to occur in Indonesia. In 2021, the number of diabetes patients is around 19.5 million people and is projected to increase to 28.6 million in 2045. This needs to be a concern because diabetes is the root of all diseases.

If left unchecked, people with diabetes are at a high risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and kidney problems. In addition to causing worse conditions, these diseases also have a significant healthcare cost burden.

Read: Preventing the Diabetes Epidemic

Referring to data from the Social Health Insurance Management Agency (BPJS) Health, heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure are included in the diseases with the highest health costs. In 2023, health costs for heart disease reach IDR 17.6 trillion, stroke IDR 5.2 trillion, and kidney failure IDR 2.9 trillion.

Those diseases should have been preventable by controlling the risk factors. This includes diabetes patients who are expected to maintain their blood sugar levels in order to be under control.

Herbal medicine

Professor of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Airlangga University Sukardiman has innovated to develop herbal medicine which can be a complementary medicine for diabetes to reduce blood sugar levels.

This herbal product, named Diabetkol, has received a distribution permit from the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency. Apart from that, this product has been widely marketed to the public in collaboration with PT Dharma Putra Airlangga and PT ASIMAS.

Diabetkol is a standardized herbal medicine that contains extracts from mangosteen fruit peel and cat whiskers leaves. The active ingredients in both raw materials have the efficacy of lowering blood sugar levels and reducing cholesterol levels in the blood.

”During my initial research I found that there was a relationship between diabetes and hyperlipidemia or hypercholesterolemia. "So, I finally developed a product from mangosteen rind and cat's whisker extract which has activity to lower blood sugar and cholesterol," said Sukardiman.

Diabetes has been researched and developed since 2006. At that time, the development was aimed at finding natural materials that could be used as herbal medicine. Several raw materials were screened based on empirical knowledge of the community, such as bitter melon, andrographis paniculata, mangosteen peel, and cat's whiskers.

UNIVERSITAS AIRLANGGA

Diabetkol Products

After conducting a comparison on the raw materials, the best activity produced to lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels in the blood is a combination of mangosteen peel extract and cat whisker extract.

Through research conducted by Sukardiman, it has been scientifically proven regarding the benefits of medicinal plants based on the empirical experiences of the community.

Read: Integrating Traditional Medicine into the Health System

From various conducted research, the mangosteen skin contains one compound of santons, namely alpha-mangostin which plays a role in increasing insulin secretion in the body. This activity can lower the metabolism of sugar in the blood, thus preventing the accumulation of sugar in the blood.

In addition, the active compounds in cat whiskers, namely sinensetin, can lower blood sugar levels and reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. This indicates a synergistic effect of the content of mangosteen skin and cat whiskers in lowering blood sugar and cholesterol levels in the blood.

Prevention

Sukardiman stated that the herbal medicine Diabetkol can be used as a complementary treatment for patients with diabetes who already use medication. In addition to being a treatment, this herbal medicine can also be used as a prevention method for patients with prediabetes.

By consuming this herbal medicine, it is hoped that the blood sugar levels of prediabetic patients can be better controlled. As a result, the risk of developing diabetes can be prevented.

"So, Diabetkol can be used for prevention as well as for therapy. Because this medication is also made from natural ingredients, it is relatively safe to consume over a long period of time," he said.

KOMPAS/IWAN SETIYAWAN

Moyo Ri (left), a researcher from the Department of Nursing at Takasaki University of Health and Welfare (Japan), took blood samples from residents at the Community Health Center in Pasir Gunung Selatan Village, Cimanggis, Depok, on Thursday (12/26/2013).

The medicine is packaged in capsule form, which contains 150 milligrams of mangosteen extract and 150 grams of cat's whiskers extract in each capsule. For usage instructions, diabetic patients are advised to consume it three times a day.

If consumed as a complementary medicine to modern drugs, it is best to give a time lag of 3-4 hours after taking the modern medication. However, if used for prediabetic patients, it can be consumed twice a day.

Because this drug is also made from natural ingredients, this drug is relatively safe to consume in the long term.

Sukardiman explained that the processing of Diabetkol has gone through a series of processes and testing to ensure the quality, efficacy, and safety of each product produced. It starts from the process of selecting raw materials, extraction, to packaging.

The entire process has been supervised by the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM). In addition to obtaining circulation permits from BPOM, Diabetkol products have also received halal certification from the Indonesian Ulema Council.

Development

Sukadirman stated that the development of Diabetkol products will still continue. Further testing and research will be conducted to develop Diabetkol into a phytopharmaceutical product.

Therefore, cooperation with healthcare facilities will be carried out so that this product can be tested on patients as part of clinical trials.

STEPHANUS ARANDITIO

Several medical devices for diabetes are placed on a table in Jakarta, Saturday (25/3/2023).

"Of course, this development requires collaboration with many parties, starting from clinician partners for conducting clinical trials, BPOM which provides clinical trial protocols, as well as other stakeholders, including the government, for research funding support, both through LPDP and BRIN," he said.

He hopes that this product can become one of the nation's strengths in supporting pharmaceutical product independence. In addition, this product is expected to help address the increasing problem of diabetes in the community.

Separately, the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Airlangga University, Junaidi, said that the development of herbal medicines in Indonesia must continue to be encouraged,

The enormous potential of natural resources should be utilized optimally. Natural materials in Indonesia, based on empirical knowledge passed down from generation to generation, have been used as traditional medicine.

Also read: Herbal Tea from Faloak Tree Bark

With more extensive research and development, empirical experience can be scientifically proven, resulting in standardized products.

"The development of herbal medicine is also driven to be able to reach clinical trials, so that it can eventually produce phytomedicinal products. These phytomedicinal products are different from standardized traditional herbal medicine products because they have undergone preclinical and clinical trials on humans," he said.