Overview
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The genus Cissus boasts several species that have been sufficiently studied to definitively establish that they help with weight loss and certain aspects of diabetes. (See our page on Cissus quadrangularis.) Known to western science since the 16th century and whose use in Brazil as a folk medicine has been documented since the 18th Century, C. sicyoides, or Insulina, as it is also known, was shown in the early part of this century to have hypoglycemic and anti-lipemic effects in rats. Part of the Grapevine family, synonyms include Cissus verticillata, Princess vine, Millionaire vine and the aptly named Curtain ivy.
What are the known benefits?
It is hypoglycemic.
It reduces intake of food. The
According to this 2003 study using a leaf decoction of princess vine, the decoction treatment significantly reduced the intake of both food and fluid and the volume of urine excreted, as well as the levels of blood glucose, urinary glucose and urinary urea, in comparison with controls.
Any other benefits?
Insulina is also known to be anti-lipemic in rats.
What mechanisms are in play?
It is believed that insulina works by inhibiting alpha glucosidase, an enzyme that breaks down complex sugars into glucose.
References
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12578546