Metformin and Goat’s Rue (Galega officinalis)
High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) has become more common in America. With the rise of type two diabetes and other medical diagnosis that can cause insulin resistance it’s no wonder we’ve had to find drugs to combat this issue. We’ll focus more on what is the interaction in the body and away from the diagnosis side of these diseases. The most common medicine used by medical care professionals is commonly known as Metformin.
So what is Metformin? How does it work?
Metformin is the most common drug given to combat insulin resistance. So then the question is what is insulin resistance, better yet what is insulin.
The synthetic route for the preparation of Metformin. Hydrochloride is briefly indicated. The reaction of dicyanodiamide with dimethylammonium chloride generates Metformin through a cyano addition reaction.
Insulin is the hormone the body uses to aid in the movement of sugar (glucose) from the bloodstream into your cells. It is released by the pancreas beta cells when they receive a signal there is too much sugar in the blood. Insulin opens the cell like a key to opening a door. This allows the sugars to enter the cell. The sugar is then transformed into usable energy.
The issues is when the cells are over stimulated or are not reacting to the insulin being released by the pancreas. This is insulin resistance. An insulin resistance can also be seen as a abnormally high insulin production by the pancreas. THe body doesn’t react so more insulin is produced. Meanwhile the body does have other ways of combating high blood sugar, or just unused energy in the body. The sugar that is not actively being used by the cells is then converted to fat as stored energy for later use. This is why a main symptom of insulin resistance can be seen as being overweight.
So now we know what insulin resistance is and how the hormone functions in the body. Let’s tackle what Metformin does. It has three main functions in the body.
Lowers hepatic glucose production - This occurs in the liver
Lowers intestinal absorption -closes off the ports where sugars are absorbed out of the intestines and into the bloodstream. The sugars pass through and are excreted by the body. (When you pee or number 2)
Finally it raises your body’s cellular sensitivity to insulin.
Now that we know about Metformin, why does it have a connection to Goat’s Rue (Galega officinalis)?
Well Metformin’s main active compound was synthesized from a concentrated form of guanidine, and galegine. Now it’s important to know that fresh Galega officinalis is highly toxic, and must be dried and processed properly to be used for human consumption. That doesn’t mean Metformin or Goat’s Rue is poison. It means that both substances due to their nature have side effects. It’s up to the person taking the medication with the guidance of their health care professional to decide what’s best.
There have been many studies that can conclude that Goat’s Rue (Galega officinalis) has many of the same anti-insulin resistant properties as metformin.
Figure 2. Metformin is a derivative of biguanide.
Chemical structures of biguanide, butformin, phenformin, and metformin. Metformin is a derivative of biguanide.
It is important to acknowledge that Goat’s Rue (Galega officinalis) has been used for thousands of years before metformin was even synthesized. With many modern medications there is a list of side effects. It should be noted that Goat’s Rue (Galega officinalis) does affect the way certain vitamins and minerals are absorbed in the body.
Sources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/galegine
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4214027/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28776081/#:~:text=Metformin%20(dimethylbiguanide)%20has%20become%20the,shown%20to%20lower%20blood%20glucose.
This is for educational purposes only. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This statement isn't evaluated by the FDA.
