In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light for a process involving cheesecloth and banana peels. It is a banana grown in Taiwan, whose properties will be used to fight against insomnia, anxiety and depression.
Insomnia is a very common sleep disorder and those affected are constantly searching for solutions. Recently, we were talking about a rather unusual service in Hong Kong, namely buses running without any particular destination to put insomniacs to sleep. Anxiety and depression are also very worrying ailments. In 2020, a study indicated, for example, that impaired sleep in adolescents increased the risk of depression in adulthood.
Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in other words the drug agency of the United States, validated a banana-based remedy . The goal ? Treat insomnia, anxiety and depression at the same time. According to a November 1, 2021 press release, this research was conducted by the Taiwanese company TCI Co., ltd. The latter has been carrying out work for a long time with the sole aim of developing banana-based therapies.
The FDA has therefore approved a variety of bananas grown in Taiwan. The latter can therefore now be exported to the United States for its therapeutic properties. Note, however, that TCI does not use the fruit itself to develop this remedy in the form of a dietary supplement . Indeed, it actually includes the stamens (the unit of the male reproductive system in plants) as well as the skins. The researchers behind the project explain that the Taiwanese banana contains natural ingredients similar to those found in some anxiolytics .
TCI has patented a ultrasonic cold extraction process bearing the friendly name of Happy Banana . Tested in the laboratory, it has been proven to reduce anxious behaviors in certain specimens. For its work, the company has also received the gold medal at the Geneva Inventions Fair 2021.
In addition, scientists point out that banana peels facilitate the production of serotonin and melatonin by the brain. These also contribute to the improvement of the expression of genes associated with the metabolic pathway of tryptophan, the precursor of the hormones of happiness. As for the stamens, a by-product rarely valued, they reduce the risks of prostate hypertrophy.
