Use Techo Corporation, Banaba is really good for health, it lowers blood glucose level by just taking it as tea.

Banaba is an amazing plant. It is called “botanical insulin” and lowers blood glucose level by just taking it as tea. It has more than 1,500 years of history. In the Philippines, banaba has been drunk as tea that is effective in edema, dropsy, ulcer, lowering blood glucose level and has diuretic effect. It is still used habitually in the areas where are out of Western medicine's reach as a precious cure-all, “old wives' remedy”. The long history itself proves that banaba has reliable effect and has no side effects

I encountered banaba by chance. 8 years ago, I found nice tea in a mountain area of the Philippines. I was traveling all over Japan and overseas looking for tea that goes with Japanese sweets because I ran Japanese sweets shop as my family business. Unique Scent and delicate flavor, it is unforgettable tea. Philippine people seem to like sweets very much. Yet, not many diabetics are in places farther from urban areas. Why is that? The farther from urban areas you go, the more consumption of the tea increases. The tea is cure-all and specially, it is called botanical insulin. Encounter with tasty wholesome tea. I decided to venture my life on the tea. My wish to have Japanese people drink the tea became stronger.

Is banaba really good for health?

I had seen a large number of doubtful health foods. Doctors and experts in the field told me that most of those health foods have no ground. I felt little worried. Is banaba one of those groundless health foods? Two professors swept away the question, Prof. Yamasaki of Hiroshima University, Faculty of Medicine and Prof. Ikeda of Jikeikai Medical University. Prof. Yamasaki is the leading expert in nature remedies research and Prof. Ikeda is the leading expert in prevention of diabetes. Prof. Yamasaki found that an active ingredient of banaba called corosolic acid lowers blood glucose level. Prof. Ikeda conducted a clinical trial in which the subjects with mild type 2 diabetes were given BanabaMin tablets and scientifically proved that banaba lowers blood glucose level.

In 1999, these two facts were published in Science magazine, the top of the international scientific magazines. It's marvelous! The world authority magazine accepted the scientific grounds of banaba. It is like a baseball player who suddenly recognized his capability and became a major leaguer. I made a fresh resolve to work with banaba.

Banaba had not been exported or even treated as a product. Philippine people grow banaba only for individual consumption. They make banaba tea from banaba leaves fell down from big trees taller than 10m, then dry them in the sun. When I took a closer look, the leaves had lots of worm-eaten holes. It might be OK for the Philippine market, but it was far from the Japanese standard. First, I set a strict standard and decided to buy only the leaves that meet the standard. I examined the leaves one by one to see if they have dirt or holes. At the beginning, I was blamed often because I didn't buy leaves if the quality was not high enough. But Philippine people gradually became to understand the Japanese way. I collected only high quality leaves and washed them one by one by hands. As for our workshop, a Japanese staff member designed it and a clean facility was built. Now, I cleared the Japanese standard.

“Are there enough banaba trees?” “What happens if banaba becomes popular like oolong tea?” From the anxiety, I started numbering banaba trees all over the Philippines. I traveled around the Philippines with a PC. How many trees are where? Who owns the trees? Getting the Philippine government's cooperation, I finished the work in 1998 numbering 5 million trees. I was relieved with the findings that showed there are enough banaba trees.

Do you remember the eruption of Mt. Pinatsubo in 1991? The fields around the mountain are completely covered with ash. The effects on the crops still remain and local people are badly off. There is nothing but rubbish in the field.

In order to improve the situation, I started planting banaba trees. Banaba grows even in ash-covered fields. Banaba prevent environmental destruction and can be a source of income. We are trying to be help for Philippine people

These step-by-step activities were recognized as financial and environmental contribution to the Philippines, and I was appointed the president of Philippine Banaba Association (PBA), a government accredited organization. I am going to continue to engage in the activities to make banaba popular in Japan to be true to the title.