Okra pods help in the treatment of diabetes.

Okra pods contain a large amount of amorphous, powdery mucilage, which has a hypoglycemic effect and supports the treatment of diabetes.

Okra pod. Photo: babaucone

According to Dr. Vo Van Chi, author of the Dictionary of Vietnamese Medicinal Plants, okra is also known as okra or Western gourd. Its scientific name is Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench, belonging to the Malvaceae family.

Okra is a large, erect herbaceous plant, 1.8 to 2.5 m tall. The stem is thick, strong, and hairy on the upper parts. The leaves are broad, palmately lobed, usually consisting of 7 irregularly toothed lobes of varying size. The petioles are long. The flower stalks are axillary, 1 to 3 cm long. There are 8 to 12 bracts, strap-shaped, densely hairy, and early deciduous. The calyx is star-shaped, with 5 lobes that are half-divided. The petals are yellow or yellowish, with purple spots at the base. The fruit is an angled capsule, 8 to 15 cm long, pointed at the tip.

This plant is cultivated for its fruit, which is used in cooking. Okra flowers from May to September. In Vietnam, this plant is widely distributed, most abundantly in the southern provinces.

Pharmacological analysis shows that okra pods are rich in pectin, mucilage, iron, and calcium. Fresh pods also contain thiamin, riboflavin, ascorbic acid, and niacin. The mucilage of okra pods is an amorphous powder with a molecular weight of approximately 15,000 and a protein content of about 9%. This substance has hypoglycemic effects and may be used to treat diabetes.

Experiments have shown that the liquid extract of okra stems has a hypoglycemic effect on mice at a steady dose of 30 g per kg of body weight. Compared to insulin, okra does not cause a sudden drop in blood glucose like insulin, is more stable, and does not carry the risk of causing hypotension below normal levels.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, practitioners use the entire okra plant and fruit as medicine. The fruit, leaves, and seeds all have soothing, mucilaginous, and diuretic effects. The green fruit is used in decoctions to treat pain from bleeding, burning urination, and difficulty urinating due to gonorrhea. The mucilage from the fruit and seeds is used topically to treat gonorrhea.

Dr. Vo Van Chi introduces several remedies for diabetes using okra as follows:

- Boil 500g of fresh okra pods or 100g of dried, finely chopped okra in 2 liters of water until reduced to one liter. Drink throughout the day.

- Take two okra pods, cut off a small portion of the ends, then cut them in half lengthwise. Soak them in a glass of cool drinking water, cover tightly, and leave overnight. The next morning, before breakfast, remove the okra pods and drink all the soaking water. The treatment lasts for two weeks.

According to Health and Life