[Effects of Cudrania Leaf] 3 Benefits of Cudrania Leaf, Natural Digestive Medicine that Manages Indigestion

Hello, I am Jinny, a pharmacist.

Feeling heavy, uncomfortable, sometimes bitter, and even burning sensation. I believe that there are few people who have never experienced these digestive discomfort symptoms at some point in their lives. These symptoms are quite common. The problem is when these symptoms persist for a long time.

When these digestive discomfort symptoms persist without any underlying medical condition, it's called "functional dyspepsia." Since there's no underlying cause, it can be challenging to treat. Therefore, the usual goal is to alleviate the symptoms, often using medications like antacids or acid suppressants.

However, if you take these medications for an extended period, it can lead to various side effects. Prolonged suppression of stomach acid can make your stomach more vulnerable to infections since acid is essential for killing harmful bacteria. It can also interfere with the absorption of essential nutrients like calcium.

I'd like to introduce a functional ingredient that can be consumed by chronic digestive discomfort patients without these medication side effects. It's the extract from cudrania leaves, which have been recognized by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for its "improvement of gastric discomfort" functionality.

Now, let's explore how cudrania leaf extract can alleviate various digestive discomfort symptoms and its mechanisms based on clinical trials.

The symptoms of digestive discomfort can be quite diverse. They may include pain, discomfort, bloating, heartburn, and even nausea or regurgitation. Some people may experience frequent burping, which is also one of the symptoms of digestive discomfort.

In 2021, Korean researchers conducted a human clinical trial to examine the effects of cudrania leaf extract on these overall digestive discomfort symptoms. They divided 83 digestive discomfort patients into a consumption group of 39 and a control group of 44. Only the consumption group was instructed to take 100mg of cudrania leaf extract daily for 8 weeks.

After 8 weeks, only the consumption group showed significant improvements in the total scores and specific items of functional dyspepsia symptom assessment questionnaires (GSRS), quality of life questionnaires related to digestive discomfort (NDI-K), gastrointestinal symptom questionnaires (GIS), and quality of life assessment questionnaires for functional dyspepsia (FD-GOL). The researchers described these results as follows.

How can such effects occur? I will introduce another study by Korean researchers that explains the mechanism of action of cudrania leaf extract.

As mentioned earlier, functional dyspepsia does not have a clear underlying disease. However, it appears to be associated with complex issues. Excessive gastric acid secretion is a prominent problem in functional dyspepsia. The strong acidity of gastric acid can damage the gastric mucosa, causing a burning and painful sensation. Therefore, even in hospitals, medications like antacids and acid-suppressing drugs are prescribed to alleviate some symptoms related to excessive gastric acid secretion.

Cudrania leaf extract has been shown to reduce gastric acid secretion by blocking H2 histamine receptors that are involved in gastric acid secretion.

In the previous research, it was mentioned that cudrania leaf extract not only inhibits gastric acid secretion but also increases gastric mucus production.

What is gastric mucus? If strong stomach acid is secreted daily, our stomach may not be able to withstand it and could corrode. Therefore, gastric mucus is secreted to protect the stomach from damage by forming a thick protective layer.

Therefore, cudrania leaf extract can protect the gastric mucosa by inhibiting stomach acid secretion and increasing gastric mucus secretion.

Today, we discussed cudrania leaf extract, a natural ingredient that supports digestive health without causing any adverse effects. For those wondering about the specific symptoms that cudrania leaf extract can help alleviate, I will provide more details below.

Improvement in 8 specific items in Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS),

: abdominal pain, chest discomfort, gastroesophageal reflux, severe hunger feeling, nausea and vomiting, tremor, abdominal distension, and borborygmi (abdominal rumbling).

Improvements in 15 specific items in Quality of Life Assessment Questionnaire for Dyspepsia (NDI-K),

: upper abdominal pain, upper abdominal discomfort and inconvenience, upper abdominal bloating and distension, shortness of breath, upper abdominal burning sensation, upper abdominal cramping, upper abdominal pressure, gastroesophageal reflux, early satiety, postprandial fullness, chest burning sensation, chest pain, epigastric discomfort and nausea, tremor, and vomiting.

Improvement in 10 specific items in Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GIS)

: upper abdominal pain, fullness, early satiety, decreased appetite, cramp-like abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, gastroesophageal reflux or heartburn, retrosternal discomfort, and anorexia.

Furthermore, it's important to note that the benefits for digestive health are associated with the use of cudrania leaves and not the fruit. If you want to consume an ingredient recognized by the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) for improving digestive discomfort, you should specifically look for the functional ingredient known as "cudrania leaf extract."

I hope you have a healthy day both physically and mentally. This was Jinny.