秋收神仙霜桑葉，能止消渴-探究桑葉對於血糖穩定之功效與文獻回顧
2025-08-04
959 >•
王坤謄
「春取桑枝、夏摘桑葚、秋打霜桑葉、冬刨桑白皮」，桑樹(Morus alba L.)從上到下，從裡到外皆可為藥用，是非常具有藥用價值之中藥。種植桑樹取葉的歷史與桑葉養蠶取絲的歷史一樣悠久，至今已有5000多年，由於功效眾多，《本草圖經》又稱「神仙葉」，更有「人參熱補，桑葉清補」之美譽。
桑葉於古書可見用於「消渴」，即治療糖尿病或血糖調節等功效：
《本草綱目》：桑葉乃手、足陽明之藥，治勞熱咳嗽，明目長髮，止”消渴”。
《本草備要》：監寺教採帶露桑葉，焙乾為末，空心米飲下二錢，數日而愈，代茶止”消渴”。
桑葉調節糖尿病與血糖的現代科學研究，自1989年起大量報導，舉例說明如下表一。
表一、桑葉調節糖尿病與血糖之研究一覽表
文獻回顧結果顯示，桑葉於體外試驗、動物試驗及臨床試驗皆具有顯著降低血糖之功效，並於文獻中發現DNJ (1-Deoxynojirimycin)化合物為桑葉中維持血糖恆定之關鍵成分。DNJ為桑葉中常見生物鹼成分，扮演葡萄糖苷酶(α-glucosidase)抑制劑的角色，有效抑制多醣與雙糖分解，減少人體腸道對糖的吸收，進而協助控制血糖，有關DNJ調控血糖之功效可見圖一。
台灣的氣候非常適合種植桑樹，苗栗一帶早期種植桑樹養蠶取絲，製絲綢產業相當出名。如前所述，桑樹從枝條、葉子、果實甚至根皮都能藥用。「上醫治未病」出自於《黃帝內經》，為現代養生觀念的思考起源，若能於平時多攝取桑葉萃取物，喝桑葉茶，除能有效調節血糖外，桑葉不含咖啡因，富含GABA (γ-Aminobutyric acid)的特性，更能有助於放鬆心情，達到身心靈兼顧的效用。
圖一、桑葉中DNJ化合物調節血糖相關機制
參考資料
[1] C. I. Tîrgovişte et al. The effect of a plant mixture on the metabolic equilibrium in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus. 1989.
[2] B. Andallu et al. Antioxidant role of mulberry (Morus indica L. cv. Anantha) leaves in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. 2003.
[3] M.Y. Park et al. Effects of dietary mulberry, Korean red ginseng, and banaba on glucose homeostasis in relation to PPAR-alpha, PPAR-gamma, and LPL mRNA expressions. 2005.
[4] A.H. Yuan et al. Screening of glucosidase inhibitors from various fractions of mulberry leaves. 2006.
[5] T. Kimura et al. Food-grade mulberry powder enriched with 1-deoxynojirimycin suppresses the elevation of postprandial blood glucose in humans. 2007.
[6] J. Naowaboot et al. Antihyperglycemic, antioxidant and antiglycation activities of mulberry leaf extract in streptozotocin-induced chronic diabetic rats. 2009.
[7] T. Katsube et al. Effect of flavonol glycoside in mulberry (Morus alba L.) leaf on glucose metabolism and oxidative stress in liver in diet-induced obese mice. 2010.
[8] A. Asai et al. Effect of mulberry leaf extract with enriched 1-deoxynojirimycin content on postprandial glycemic control in subjects with impaired glucose metabolism. 2011.
[9] S.S. Huang et al. A comparison of food-grade Folium mori ( Sāng Yè) extract and 1-deoxynojirimycin for glycemic control and renal function in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. 2014.
[10] J.Y. Kim et al. Mulberry leaf extract improves postprandial glucose response in prediabetic subjects: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial. 2015.
[11] M. Lown et al. Mulberry-extract improves glucose tolerance and decreases insulin concentrations in normoglycaemic adults: Results of a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study. 2017.
[12] T.G. Hu et al. Effect of 1-deoxynojirimycin isolated from mulberry leaves on glucose metabolism and gut microbiota in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic mouse model. 2019.
[13] T. Thaipitakwong et al. A randomized controlled study of dose-finding, efficacy, and safety of mulberry leaves on glycemic profiles in obese persons with borderline diabetes. 2020.
[14] K. Fongsodsri et al. Mulberry-derived 1-deoxynojirimycin prevents type 2 diabetes mellitus progression via modulation of retinol-binding protein 4 and haptoglobin. 2022.
[15] M. Takahashi et al. Effects of the timing of acute mulberry leaf extract intake on postprandial glucose metabolism in healthy adults: a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. 2023.
[16] M. Yasuda et al. Mulberry leaves and water chestnut tea reduces postprandial blood glucose in borderline diabetic Japanese: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. 2025.
[17] K. Thakur et al. 1-Deoxynojirimycin, its potential for management of non-communicable metabolic diseases. 2019.
作者
王坤謄
王坤謄博士畢業於臺北醫學大學藥博班，師承王靜瓊教授，專長於中藥及天然物的純化分離、品質分析、炮製研究及藥理活性研究。曾任職於順天堂藥廠，負責科學中藥及非處方藥品之品質管控及客戶教育訓練；並曾投身公職，任衛生福利部食品藥物管理署北區管理中心技正，負責食品輸入之查核與檢驗工作，現任禾百安科技股份有限公司技術主管，橫跨產、官不同領域，對中藥產業有高度期待與熱情。
秋收神仙霜桑葉，能止消渴-探究桑葉對於血糖穩定之功效與文獻回顧
「春取桑枝、夏摘桑葚、秋打霜桑葉、冬刨桑白皮」，桑樹(Morus alba L.)從上到下，從裡到外皆可為藥用，是非常具有藥用價值之中藥。
