Hintonia Latiflora Intro and Research
With the obesity epidemic in American continuing to worsen, more and more patients are showing signs of compromised metabolic status. Finding ways to support healthy blood sugar balance is becoming a pretty big deal in clinical practice. In addition to diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management, clinicians are looking for ways to complement their integrative protocol.
While you may not have heard of Hintonia latiflora, the bark of this Central American plant has actually been studied and used in Europe for more than 60 years for blood sugar balance and it’s safety has been firmly established.* Commonly known as Copalchi Bark, one of the most active compounds in the bark is the polyphenolic fraction called coutareagenin.
A European animal study conducted in 2000 tested a synthetically reproduced coutareagenin and found it also supported healthy blood sugar balance, leading to the confirmation of this substance as at least one of the active components in this traditional botanical extract.
A 2014 open prospective trial that was published in the European Journal of Medical Research, measured the three glycemic parameters, HbA1c, fasting and postprandial glucose, finding that intake of a dry concentrate from the bark of Hintonia latiflora supported healthy blood sugar balance.* In this study cholesterol and triglycerides were also positively supported.*
A 2014 study published in the journal Phytomedicine showed that Hintonia latiflora not only supported healthy blood glucose, it also supported healthy vasodilation in both in vitro and in vivo models.* As an interesting side note, preliminary animal research published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in 2013 showed that the leaves of the Hintonia latiflora plant can also help support gastrointestinal health.*