Mulberry leaf

Morus alba · 桑叶

Herbs & Roots. Chinese Medicine.

Also called Sang ye, White mulberry leaf, Mulberry leaf tea, Morus leaf

Pinyin: Sāng yè

Spanish: Morera

May lower blood sugar

Leaves from the white mulberry tree, used in Chinese medicine for early colds and cough and studied for blood sugar.

Did you know? Silkworms feed almost only on mulberry leaves, which is why the tree has been grown for silk for thousands of years.

What it may help, and how strong the proof is

Blood sugar. Small trials in people with type 2 diabetes show modest drops in blood sugar. One 2020 trial of 80 people had no placebo, and most studies are short.
Early proof
Sore throat & cough. Used in tradition for cough and sore throat with colds. Human trials are lacking.
Traditional proof
Fever. Used in tradition for early colds with fever. Few good human studies exist.
Traditional proof

Parts of the body

Pancreas & blood sugar, Mouth & throat, Lungs, Immune system

Traditional use

Traditional Chinese Medicine has used mulberry leaf for wind-heat colds with cough, sore throat and fever, and for red, dry eyes. It is a core herb in Sang Ju Yin, a classic cold formula.

How it is classified

Herbal actions: Diaphoretic, Hypoglycemic, Antioxidant. Energy: cooling.
Chinese medicine: 桑叶 Release the exterior. Nature: cold. Flavour: sweet, bitter. Enters the Lung and Liver channels.

How people take it

Tea steeped from a few grams of dried leaves is the most common way to take it. Studies used 500 mg leaf tablets twice a day, or 300 mg of mulberry extract twice a day.

Tea, decoction, capsule and tablet.

Where to get it

Leaves come from white mulberry trees grown across China, Korea, Japan and India. Sold as dried leaf tea, capsules and tablets in health stores and online.

Be careful

Usually well tolerated, with mild stomach upset possible. Because it may lower blood sugar, people on diabetes medicines should check their glucose more often. Pregnancy and breastfeeding are not well studied.

Avoid if: pregnancy; breastfeeding; diabetes medicines.

Mixing with other things

Works well together
Sang Ju Yin (Mulberry Leaf and Chrysanthemum Drink) pairs them for early wind-heat colds with sore throat and cough.
Works well together
Also in Sang Ju Yin, where forsythia fruit helps clear heat.
Works well together
Paired in Sang Xing Tang, a formula for dry cough and early colds.
Use caution
Diabetes medicine (metformin, insulin, glipizide, Ozempic)
May add to blood sugar lowering from diabetes medicines, raising the risk of low blood sugar. Monitor sugar closely.

Adds up with others that may lower blood sugar: , , , , , , , , , , , , , and 39 more.

The honest take

Mulberry leaf has a long history in Chinese medicine, and its blood sugar results are the strongest modern signal. But the studies are small and short, and some lack placebo controls. It should not replace diabetes care.