Views: 53 Publish Time: 2023-02-06
Morus alba (Latin name: Morus alba L.) is a deciduous tree or shrub of the mulberry family, Moraceae, up to 15 meters tall. The tree is rich in milk pulp and has yellowish-brown bark.
The tree is native to China and is now grown in many regions, including the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Mulberry leaves are the main food of silkworms. The leaves are ovate to broadly ovate, with pointed tips and rounded or shallowly heart-shaped bases, with coarsely serrate margins and sometimes irregularly divided. The leaf surface is glabrous and shiny, with sparse hairs on the veins on the back of the leaf. The older leaves are thicker and darker green. Young leaves are thinner, yellow-green. The texture is brittle and easy to grip. The smell is light and the taste is slightly bitter and astringent.
Mulberry leaves have a variety of culinary, medicinal and industrial uses. It is commonly used to make tinctures and herbal teas, and is a common health drink in Asian countries. The young leaves can be consumed after cooking.
You can also take mulberry leaf supplements, which have become increasingly popular due to their potential health benefits.
Scientific studies suggest that mulberry leaves contain a cluster of bioactive compounds and possess several pharmacological effects.
1-Deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) is considered to be the most potent anti-hyperglycemic compound in Morus alba leaves. He works because the molecular structure of DNJ is similar to that of glucose, and DNJ competes with glucose to block the active site of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes in the digestive tract. When these enzymes are inhibited, the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates in the diet eventually decreases.In this way, the amount of blood sugar entering the bloodstream will be reduced accordingly, achieving a hypoglycemic effect.
Mulberry leaves suppressed body weight gain induced by chronic ingestion of high-fat diet. It was hypothesized that phenolics were responsible for anti-obesity effect of mulberry leaves.
DNJ, phenolics and flavonoids were associated with lipid-lowering effects of mulberry leaves through multiple mechanisms of action. The extract of mulberry leaves enriched with DNJ, quercetin and kaempferol activated the expressions of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-α, leading to the increase in β-oxidation of free fatty acid and lipid breakdown.
Mulberry leaves reduced blood pressure and heart rate by inhibiting angiotensin-converting enzyme.An investigation of vascular reactivity revealed that mulberry leaves improved the responses of blood vessels to exogenous stimulators. The impaired reactivity of blood vessels, including diminished dilatation and increased constriction, were significantly restored to the normal levels after long-term treatment of mulberry leaves.
Mulberry leaf extract contains higher values of phenols and flavonoids, which have been found to be good antioxidants, and the phenols and flavonoids of mulberry leaves exhibit stronger antioxidant properties.
Mulberry leaves have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. This is because mulberry leaves have a good inhibitory effect on the growth of most gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria as well as some yeasts. At the same time, the brassinix in mulberry leaves can significantly inhibit traumatic swelling and stop the development of conjunctivitis and pulmonary edema. Therefore, mulberry leaves can play a good antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect.
Mulberry leaf contains phytol, flavonoids, etc., can inhibit the formation of fatty liver, reduce blood viscosity all the way to the formation of central sclerotic plaque, to improve the cardiovascular disease is a certain benefit.
Mulberry leaves-derived products in the form of powders, extracts and capsules are now commercially available as functional foods and dietary supplements for controlling body weight and blood glucose. It is one of the most promising of the medicinal plants.
