Safety evaluation of Caryota urens L. (Kithul) treacle in rats

Abstract

Traditionally, in Sri Lanka, treacle prepared from Caryota urens L. (Kithul) sap has been used as a sweetener for many centuries and it has been used to prepare a variety of sweet foods, drinks and some medicinal preparations such as Arista. In folklore it is claimed to posses health benefits such as anti-ageing and anti-diabetic. Recent scientific studies carried out by us showed that C. urens treacle posses different bioactive properties such as antioxidant, antihyperglycemic and glucosidase inhibitory properties. However, so far no scientific data is available to verify the safety of this traditional food. Therefore, in this study, toxicological evaluation of C. urens treacle was done using the normal rat model.