Salacia reticulata

Salacia reticulata is not consumed as a bulk food ingredient but as a concentrated botanical extract; thus, macronutrient contribution is negligible at typical doses (500mg–1g/day). Key bioactive compounds drive its pharmacological profile: (1) Salacinol – a sulfonium sulfate cyclitol, primary alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, present at approximately 0.1–0.5% dry weight in root/stem bark; (2) Kotalanol – a structurally related thiosugar sulfonium compound, co-occurring with salacinol, present at ~0.05–0.2% dry weight, demonstrated to inhibit intestinal maltase and sucrase with IC50 values in the micromolar range; (3) Mangiferin – a C-glucosyl xanthone, present at ~0.3–1.2% dry weight in leaves, contributes antidiabetic and antioxidant activity via PPAR-gamma modulation; (4) Kotalagenin 16-acetate – a triterpenoid saponin involved in aldose reductase inhibition; (5) Mahanimbine and related alkaloids – minor constituents with lipase-inhibitory properties. Mineral content of crude root extract includes detectable calcium (~180–220 mg/100g dry extract), potassium (~300–400 mg/100g dry extract), and trace magnesium. Fiber content is present in whole plant preparations (~8–12% dry weight as insoluble fiber) but absent in standardized extracts. Bioavailability notes: Salacinol and kotalanol are polar, water-soluble compounds with limited passive intestinal absorption, which confines their primary activity to the intestinal lumen — this is mechanistically advantageous for postprandial glucose control but limits systemic bioavailability. Mangiferin exhibits moderate oral bioavailability (~20–30%) enhanced by food-matrix co-administration. Standardized commercial extracts are typically normalized to salacinol content (≥0.5%) or total alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity.