Friday, March 27, 2020

Health Maintenance - Loquat





 


 Loquat


The loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) is an evergreen tree native to China, carefully cultivated in Japan for thousands of years.  

Loquat fruits are small, round fruits and depending on the variety the flesh is different colour flesh from yellow, orange to white, and is prized for its sweet, citrus-like fruit.
Younger leaves are downy, whereas older leaves become more leathery.
Both the loquat leaves and fruits are pack with vitamins, minerals and powerful plant compounds which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.  There are important medicinal herbs, and are considered to be one of the reported “miracle elixirs of life”.




Loquat extracts have been used for the treatment of cough, chronic bronchitis (CB), inflammation, diabetes, and cancer in Chinese folk medicine (11).

According to recent studies which suggest that loquat may have health benefits, including protection against some disease such as diabetes by reducing blood sugar, triglyceride and insulin levels, respiratory health and allergies, eczema and skin complaints, brain health, liver disorders, and cold (10).










 Important: This information does not substitute for the advice of your healthcare professional. A healthcare professional should be consulted before taking any drug, changing any diet or commencing or discontinuing any course of treatment. 


 
Health benefits of Loquat Leaves

1.     Diabetes

Loquat leaves produce triterpenes including tormentic acid a chemical that has anti-diabetic potential.  Tormentic acid demonstrated it’s ability to increase the body’s production of insulin which may help with symptoms of diabetes (1).  Loquat leaves also produce polysaccharides which help to stimulate the production of insulin in the pancreas.

2.     Liver Support

The liver has the function of eliminating harmful toxins from the body.  Loquat leaves contain sterols linoleic acids which help the liver to perform properly (2).

3.     Respiratory Health and allergies

Traditionally, loquat leaves have been used as traditional medicines for inflammatory diseases and chronic bronchitis, including congestion, coughing, allergic reaction and lung irritation. 

Kim,et al., (2009) found that when rats were fed with loquat leaf they experienced a slower allergic reaction than those not given the leaf (3).  Similarly, other experiments
provided evidence that loquat leaves had a natural anti-histamine effect and reduced sneezing (4).   Another study conducted by Kim and Shin, (2009) revealed that loquat leaves helped reduce redness and inflammation by disrupting the communication of the swelling response after cells have detected an allergen (5).

4.     Eczema and Other Skin Complaints

Loquat leaves can be applied topically in cream form as a remedy for redness and irritation caused by environmental allergens especially when the reaction is caused by histamines (6).

5.      Periodontal (gum) disease

Drinking loquat leaf tea can help soothe painful and inflamed gum because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ability (7).

6.     Brain Health

A study published in 2011 demonstrated that mice fed with extracts of loquat leaf exhibited significant improvements in memory tests suggesting that it helps protect against oxidative damage (8).

7.      Colds

There is scientific evidence that loquat leaf has antiviral properties as a result of antigens produced by the acids in the leaf. In addition to these antigens, the triterpenes contained in the leaf might help to protect against the cold (9).



Recipe

Loquat Leaf Tea


Fresh leaves are to be washed, cleaned and dried.  Cut the leaves into finger width strips.


The following is a traditional Japanese recipe for loquat leaf tea.

Ingredients:

·      5g of cut fresh loquat tea leaf
·      4 cups of water

Method:
  • Place the loquat tea leaf in a pot or a kettle

  • Pour water over the tea and bring to a boil
  • Turn down the heat and let it simmer for between 10 and 15 minutes
  • Turn the heat off and allow the tea to steep for a further 10 minutes
  • Strain the tea, serve and drink up

Enjoy 1 cup two to three times a day as a tonic preventative or strengthening the immune system.












References:
(10) https://healthyfocus.org/benefits-of-loquat-leaves/
(11) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5187783/

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