Banaba has been used for a long time as a folk medicine among diabetics in the Philippines. It has traditionally been consumed in the form of a brewed tea. In 1999 an animal study was conducted to see if the extract had antiobesity effects. The results were positive. Additional research needs to be conducted to confirm these findings. For more information go to the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, Volume 45, December 1999. Click here for more information.