The Banisteriopsis caapi, ? vine fo?nd ?n th? jungles ?f South America th?t ?? u??? t? brew th? psychedelic drink ayahuasca. Paul Hessell, Flickr, CC BY 2.0
Ayahuasca, ? psychedelic brew m??e f??m th? Banisteriopsis caapi vine th?t grows ?n th? Amazon, h?s long be?n u??d ?y local shamans f?r ?t? supposed powers ?f spiritual awakening an? healing. Now, ? n?w study suggests that ?t cont?in? ? chemical substance that m?? ??so cure diabetes. The research shows th?t th?? chemical a?tu??ly promotes th? growth ?f insulin-producing beta cells ?n people w?th diabetes.
In type 1 diabetes, people adults an? children h?ve lost ab?ut 99 percent ?f th??r beta cells. These cells reside ?n th? islets of the pancreas ?nd produce insulin, which, ?n turn, ??l?ws th? human body t? maintain ? healthy blood sugar level. W?thout beta cells, ??u? blood sugar levels, with no more control, will go u? ?n? down, wreaking havoc ?n th? body. (In the mu?h m?re common type 2 diabetes, people ??ual?y h?v? ? 50 t? 60 percent loss ?f beta cells, whi?h combines w?th ? growing resistance t? insulin to create ? set ?f symptoms similar t? th?se s?en ?n type 1 diabetes.)
Scientists h?ve long wondered: Wh?t ?f y?u ?o?ld mak? th?s? beta cells grow back?
Inspired b? th?s possibility, researchers set ?ut t? find chemicals that m?ght cau?e these cells t? regenerate, screening 100,000 drugs. Th?? f?und ?nly ?n? th?t worked: harmine. Intriguingly, th?? chemical substance ?? present ?n ?ar???? plants, including the vine ?s?? ?n th? Amazonian psychedelic medicine called ayahuasca.
In th? study, published ?n the journal Nature Medicine, scientists f??nd th?t harmine had strong ability t? m?ke thes? cells—also kn?wn ?s beta islets—grow back. T? test this, researchers implanted islets ?nto mice ?nd gave th?m harmine. Mice gi?en harmine ?aw th? number ?f beta cells triple, ?n? th? previously diabetic mice ha? greatly improved blood sugar levels.
"Our results provide ? large body ?f evidence demonstrating that [harmine] c?n m?ke human beta cells proliferate ?t levels that ma? ?? relevant fo? diabetes treatment," sai? study author Dr. Andrew Stewart, ?t th? Icahn School ?f Medicine, ?n ? statement.
Th? study authors wrote th?t thi? chemical m?ght n?t b? ???t t? give t? people unaltered, ?ince ?t a?so ha? psychoactive effects. B?t understanding th? chemistry ?f how ?t ca??e? beta cells t? proliferate ??u?? guide efforts t? find ? related drug th?t m?ght ?e ???? t? ?? th? trick, Stewart says.