bauhinia forficata (Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense)

Bauhinia forficata, commonly known as pata-de-vaca, is a medicinal plant native to South America that is widely used in Brazilian folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The drug is a standardized herbal extract derived from the leaves of the plant, typically formulated as oral capsules. Its primary active constituents include flavonoids, such as kaempferol glycosides, and lactones, which are thought to exert antidiabetic effects by enhancing insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells, improving peripheral insulin sensitivity, and providing antioxidant activity to reduce oxidative stress. It is currently being investigated as an adjuvant treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus in clinical trials sponsored by the Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense (UNESC).

Other names

pata-de-vacapaw-of-cowbombyx forficata