Who knew that this life-saving medication came from lilacs?
Metformin is a life-saving drug that many diabetics today are prescribed. It can be used to manage blood sugar levels by improving the way your body produces insulin. While something this complex sounds like it could only be engineered in a lab in the recent past, its beginnings started a long, long time ago: “TIL the anti-diabetic medication, metformin, is derived from French lilacs. In medieval times, French lilac was used to treat the symptoms of a condition we now know today as diabetes mellitus.” – Obscure Fact by dilettantedebrah
Metformin was originally developed from natural compounds found in the plant Galega officinalis, known as French lilac or goat’s rue. Its roots (pun intended), go back to 1500 BCE, beginning with ancient Egyptian physicians. Specifically, in medieval times, a prescription of Galega officinalis was said to relieve the intense urination accompanying the disease that came to have the name of diabetes mellitus Synthetic biguanides were developed in the 1920s in Germany, but their use was limited due to side effects.