January 3, 2003	Friday	Shawwal 29, 1423

SINGAPORE, Jan 2: Two Indian researchers have found an extract of a flower common in Asia has anti-diabetic properties when tested on rats, a report in the latest Singapore Medical Journal said on Thursday.

Dr L. Pari and Dr M. Latha tested the extract of the cassia auriculata, also known as Tanner’s Cassia, for a month on 36 rats artificially induced to have moderate diabetes, said the report.

They found it could reverse effects of the diabetes, including hyperglycaemia or excess glucose in the bloodstream. The rats that received the flower extract had a decreased urine sugar as well as a reduced level of tissue lipids, which was higher in the diabetic control rates.—dpa