Vidanga, The Therapeutic Agent for Osteoporosis, Diabetic and Cancer

Vidanga, or known botanically as Embelia ribes Burm., has been used as Ayurvedic herbs to treat fever, inflammatory diseases, and gastrointestinal ailments for thousands of years. Vidanga was first described by Nicolaas Laurens Burman, a Dutch botanist, in 1768.

Embelin (2,5-dihydroxy-3-undecyl-1,4-benzoquinone), an active compound derived from vidanga, has been shown to possess antitumor, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, antihyperglycaemic, anthelmintic (drugs that expel parasitic worms from the body), antifungal, anticonvulsant (antiepileptic drugs), and cardioprotective properties.

The dried fruits of vidanga are mostly used as folk medicine by the Indian people, rather than its roots or its leaves. Vidanga is used to treat bronchitis, skin diseases, flatulence, migraine, cough, colic, constipation, and asthma. Vidanga is also useful for stamina booster and as an oral contraceptive. Due to its contraceptive effect, pregnant women are not allowed to take vidanga herb.

The Scientific Studies

Study had indicated that embelin is a novel nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) blocker and potential suppressor of tumorigenesis. It is NF-kappaB which regulates several genes associated with inflammation, proliferation, carcinogenesis, and apoptosis. (Ahn KS, et al. 2007)

40 days of orally feeding aqueous vidanga extract, to streptozotocin induced diabetic rats, had produced significant decrease in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, blood glucose, blood glycosylated hemoglobin, serum lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase and the levels of pancreatic lipid peroxides.

The extract also significantly increased the levels of pancreatic superoxide dismutase, catalase and in blood glutathione levels. The study suggested that the aqueous vidanga extract had managed to exhibit a significant blood glucose, blood pressure lowering potential, and to enhance endogenous antioxidant defense against free radicals, which produced under hyperglycaemic conditions. (Bhandari U, et al. 2008)

Most cancer patients died not just because of the tumor in the primary organ, but because it has spread to other organs. Cancers, such as breast, myeloma, and prostate cancer, frequently metastasize (the spread of a cancer from one organ to another organ) to the bone.

NF-kappaB is also known as a major mediator of bone loss, which associated with cancer and other chronic inflammatory diseases. Study indicated that embelin had shown as an inhibitor of NF-kappaB and had great potential as a therapeutic agent for osteoporosis and cancer-linked bone loss. (Reuter S, et al. 2010)

Embelin had shown to reduce body weight gain, blood glucose, and plasma insulin, in the study using diabetic rats. The study suggested that embelin can be used in the prevention, and treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, caused due to obesity. (Gandhi GR, et al. 2013) Other study also suggested, that embelin can be used as a potential therapeutic candidate, for the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer. (Kim SW, et al. 2013)

Two vidanga products that are sold by Bazaar of India on Amazon.com:

Vidanga Herb Powder Wildcrafted	Vidanga - Embelia ribes, 120 vegicaps