Salacia: After-Meal Blood Sugar Trials | Dose Track
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Salacia: half-life, strengths and approval status

Amounts studied · Approval status · Half-life notes

What is salacia?

Salacia is a group of plants whose extracts block the gut enzymes that break down carbohydrates (alpha-glucosidase), much like the drug acarbose.

Also known as: Salacia reticulata, Salacia oblonga, Salacia chinensis, kothala himbutu.

Amounts studied

A single-meal trial used 240 or 480 mg of Salacia oblonga extract with the meal (Williams 2007). A 12-week trial used 600 mg a day of Salacia chinensis extract (Kobayashi 2021). These are study protocols, not a recommendation.

Approval status and how it is used

It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling.

What studies show: in 66 people with type 2 diabetes, adding 240 or 480 mg of Salacia oblonga extract to a high-carbohydrate meal lowered the blood sugar rise after the meal by 14% and 22% and the insulin rise by 14% and 19% (Williams 2007). In two trials of Salacia chinensis, after-meal blood sugar fell with dose, and 12 weeks of 600 mg a day improved HbA1c and glucose tolerance compared with placebo (Kobayashi 2021).

Safety: people on diabetes medicines, especially acarbose or others that lower blood sugar, should ask their prescriber first. The sources here do not describe drug interactions.

Salacia half-life and time to peak

  • Half-lifeNot listed
  • Time to peak (Tmax)Not listed

We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for Salacia that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one. Plant extracts are mixtures of many compounds, so no single figure would describe them.

How to track salacia in Dose Track

  1. Add salacia as a custom compound. Start typing its name and Dose Track fills in the details from its research library for you to check, and it sits next to everything else you take.
  2. Log each dose when you take it so your history shows exactly what you took and when.
  3. Set reminders on your own schedule, whether that is daily, weekly or every few days.
  4. Your log is stored on your phone and no account is needed. Data only leaves it for features you choose, like AI answers and lab reading.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the half-life of salacia?+
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for Salacia that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one. Plant extracts are mixtures of many compounds, so no single figure would describe them.
How does Salacia work?+
It slows the gut enzymes that break carbohydrates into sugar, so less sugar enters the blood right after a meal. In one trial it cut the after-meal blood sugar rise by 14% to 22%.
Can I track salacia in Dose Track?+
Yes. Salacia is in Dose Track's research library, so when you add it as a custom compound its details are filled in for you to check. You can then log each dose next to your other compounds, set reminders on your own schedule, and see your history next to your lab results. Your log is stored on your phone and no account is needed. Data only leaves it for features you choose, like AI answers and lab reading.

Sources

  1. Williams JA, et al. Extract of Salacia oblonga lowers acute glycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;86(1):124-130.
  2. Kobayashi M, et al. Dose-dependent suppression of postprandial hyperglycemia and improvement of blood glucose parameters by Salacia chinensis extract: two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. J Med Food. 2021;24(1):10-17.
  3. FDA. Questions and answers on dietary supplements.

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