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PsychoactivePlantMayHoldKeytoReversing
Diabetes
MARCH12,2015|BREATHOFLIFE|1COMMENT
Achemicalfoundinayahuascahasthepotentialtoregeneratepancreascellsthathavebeenlosttodiabetes.
NewresearchpublishedinNatureMedicine
(http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nm.3820.html)may
haveunlockedanewlineoftreatmentfordiabetes.
Theresearchershonedinonthemainculpritsindiabetes:betacells.These
cellsconcentrateinthepancreasinlittleclusterscalledislets,andthey
producetheinsulinnecessarytokeepthebodysbloodsugarlevelsstable.

Inchildrenandadultswithtype1diabetes,theyvelost99percentoftheirbetacells,sotheycannotmake
enoughinsulin.Thatsthecauseoftheirdiabetes,saidAndrewStewart,directoroftheDiabetes,Obesity
andMetabolismInstituteattheIcahnSchoolofMedicineatMountSinai,NewYorkCityandseniorauthor
ofthestudy,inaninterviewwithHealthline.Peoplewithtype2diabetesalsohaveabouta50or60
percentreductionintheirnumberofbetacellsintheirpancreas,andsotheytoocannotmakeenough
insulin.
LearnMoreAboutDiabetes(http://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes)

GrowingBetaCells
Althoughmanydrugsexisttocontrolthesymptomsofdiabetes,therecurrentlyisnoreliablewayto
replacebetacellsandcurethedisease.StewartjoinedwithleadauthorPengWangandothersona
multidisciplinaryteamtotackletheproblem.
Intheworldofbetacellregeneration,youcandoitintwoways.Youcaneitherusestemcells,createstem
cellsandthentransplantthem.Oryoucouldtakeadrugthatmakesyourownbetacellsgrow,Stewart
explained.

Althoughthestemcelltransplantresearchispromising,itinvolvesaninvasiveprocedureandwillhave
difficultymeetingthemassivedemand,hesaid.
Diabetesaffectsmorethan20millionAmericans
(http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/statistics/prev/national/figpersons.htm),accordingtotheCentersforDisease
ControlandPrevention(CDC).

Theneedvastlyoutstripsthestemcellisletsupply,saidStewart.Itwouldbesimplymuchsimplerto
takeapilltomakeyourbetacellsgrow.
Usingahighvolumescreeningmethod,Stewartsteamcheckedmorethan100,000differentchemicalsto
seewhichhadthepotentialtomakebetacellsgrow.Theyidentified86possiblesolutionsandtestedeach
manually.Ofthese,asingledrugtriggeredbetacellgrowth:harmine.
Harmineoccursnaturallyinanumberofplantsaroundtheworld.Itsoneoftheingredientsinthe
psychoactivemixtureayahuasca,whichisusedbysomeindigenouspeopleforreligiouspurposes.
RelatedNews:ScientistsMakeInsulinProducingCellsfromStemCellstoCureType1Diabetes
(http://www.healthline.com/healthnews/scientistsmakeinsulinproducingcellsfromstemcells
101514)

ThePathtoNewTreatments
Toconfirmthatharminewouldcausebetacellgrowth,theteamtookisletsfromthepancreasesofdeceased
humanorgandonors.
Then,theytransplantedtheisletsintodiabeticmice.Theyusedfarfewerthanwerenecessarytocurethe
micesdiabetes.Dosingthemicewithharminetriggeredthebetacellstomultiplyenoughthattheycould
restorethemicesbloodsugarlevelstonormal.
Stewartcautionsthatharmineitselfisnttheanswer.Instead,harminemightinspiresimilardrugsthathone
inonbetacellsandleavetherestofthebody,especiallythebrain,alone.
Wehavenowaytotargetdrugsspecificallytohumanbetacells.Thatswhatweneedtodonext.
AndrewStewart,IcahnSchoolofMedicine
Wehavenowaytotargetdrugsspecificallytohumanbetacells,Stewartsaid.Thatswhatweneedto
donext.Weneedtofigureoutawaytogetharminedirectedtobetacellsspecificallyandtonoother
tissue.
ReadthefullarticleatHealthLine(http://www.healthline.com/healthnews/psychoactiveplantmayhold
keytoreversingdiabetes030915#3)

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GROWINGBETACELLS

NATURALCURESFORDIABETES

OnethoughtonPsychoactivePlantMayHoldKeyto
ReversingDiabetes
1. ElizaWaterssays:
MARCH12,2015AT10:59AM
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