White Mulberry Leaf

Morus alba · Mulberry leaf extract · Mulberry leaf

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Glucose response after meals^{1, 2} Glycemic control in adults³ Insulin response after meals^{1, 2, 4–10} Weight management¹¹	Pregnancy or breastfeeding¹² Known hypersensitivity to mulberry¹³ Under 18 years¹³

White mulberry (Morus alba) leaf is sold as a supplement for blood glucose and weight control¹⁴. It slows carbohydrate digestion by inhibiting digestive enzymes, which blunts the glucose rise after meals¹¹. Use follows from that effect: lower glucose and insulin after meals, broader glycemic control in adults with elevated baseline glucose, and weight management¹¹.

A 2026 trial in adults with obesity tested mulberry combined with berberine and chromium, so mulberry's own contribution is undetermined¹⁵. A 2022 before-and-after proteomic study in obese people with prediabetes or early type 2 diabetes found mulberry leaf powder lowered plasma markers of insulin resistance and inflammation¹⁶. Many products listing white mulberry leaf are on the market, mostly capsules and powders of leaf or standardized extract; see Form comparison.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) names a risk of low blood sugar with diabetes medications¹⁴. Health Canada labels ask for a practitioner's advice before use alongside prescription medications¹². NCCIH notes little is known about safety during pregnancy or breastfeeding¹⁴.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

55 sources, 46 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources