Lowers Blood Sugar

Individuals with diabetes may find alligator pepper to be beneficial in maintaining blood sugar control and so avoiding diabetes consequences such as blindness and limb amputation. Researchers in ascertaining the blood sugar lowering effect of alligator pepper had 25 albino rats that were randomly divided into five groups of five rats each. Throughout the experiment, tap water was provided as a carrier solvent to two control groups: non-diabetic (positive) and diabetes (negative). The remaining three groups were given 100 mg/kg metformin (a diabetes medication), 200 mg/kg orally, and aqueous seed extract of alligator pepper, all at the same time.

The researchers observed that oral treatment of an aqueous extract of alligator pepper to diabetic rats reduced blood glucose to normal levels in six days, but metformin (a diabetic medication) took 14 days. The length of blood glucose reduction by the two dosages of extract supplied was not significantly different, indicating that the impact was not dose-dependent.