HerbsSearch — Discover the Power of Plants
Botanical illustration of Mediterranean Saltbush
MedicinalSourced entry

Mediterranean Saltbush

Atriplex halimus

A salty-leaved shrub of the Mediterranean and North Africa, eaten as a vegetable and drunk as a tea for diabetes. It lowered blood sugar in rats.

Safety at a glance

  • PregnancyNothing recorded
  • BreastfeedingNothing recorded
  • MedicinesNothing recorded
  • Who should avoid itNothing recorded
  • AllergiesNothing recorded
  • Toxicity2 notes →

Tap a box to read the safety notes below. “Nothing recorded” means our sources don't cover it, not that it's safe.

What is Mediterranean Saltbush?

Plant family
Amaranthaceae, the amaranth family
Parts used
The leaves
Where it grows
The Mediterranean and North Africa
Genus
Atriplex
Species
halimus

Also called

Saltbush

Traditionally used for

  • Diabetes
  • Stomach problems
  • Arthritis (traditional)
  • Food

Traditionally described as

  • Leaves rich in fiber
  • iron and flavonoids

Health topics

Where Mediterranean Saltbush appears in symptom search, and why. Being listed doesn't mean it's a proven treatment.

  • High Blood Sugar

    A traditional diabetes remedy. Lowered blood sugar in rats, and a small study of a four-herb tablet including it helped people with type 2 diabetes.

  • Indigestion

    A leaf tea is a traditional remedy for stomach and gut problems. Not studied in people.

  • Joint Discomfort

    Used traditionally for arthritis. A leaf extract reduced joint swelling in arthritic rats; not tested in people.

Traditions that use it

  • Mediterranean Folk Medicine

    Leaf decoctions and teas used across the Mediterranean and North Africa for diabetes, heart, gut and joint problems.

How it's prepared

Common ways Mediterranean Saltbush is prepared or sold. This isn't advice on how to take it; see Safety below.

Safety

Toxicity testing

  • Leaf extracts didn't damage DNA in a standard bacterial test (Ames test), and in lab tests they only harmed cells at high concentrations. No human safety studies were found.[1]Study

  • Like other plants in its family, saltbush is high in salts and in oxalates, compounds that bind calcium in the body.[2]Study

Contamination

  • The plant absorbs heavy metals from the soil and is used to clean up polluted land.[1]Study

What does the research say?

Traditional use

These are traditional uses, not proven treatments.

  • The salty leaves are eaten in salads and as a seasoning, and were eaten in times of famine. Since ancient times the shrub has also fed livestock.[1]Study

  • A decoction or tea of the leaves is a traditional remedy for heart disease, stomach and gut problems, diabetes and arthritis. The Sahrawi people living in refugee camps in Algeria still use it.[1]Study

  • In Pakistan a leaf decoction is taken to purify the blood and for fever, jaundice and liver disease, and in Algeria it's used for thyroid problems.[3]Study

  • It's one of the herbs strongly recommended in Greco-Arab and Islamic medicine to treat and prevent diabetes.[4]Study

Laboratory & animal research

Lab and animal results show what might be worth studying in people. They don't show that the herb has these effects in humans.

  • In lab tests, a leaf extract helped muscle cells move glucose transporters to their surface, one way the body takes up sugar.[4]Study

  • Extracts slowed alpha-amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch into sugar, and reduced sugar damage to proteins in lab tests.[5]Study

  • In rats with arthritis, a water extract of the leaves taken for 21 days reduced paw swelling and joint damage and brought blood tests back toward normal.[6]Study

  • The leaves are high in fiber and iron and contain healthy omega fats. Most of the plant compounds in the traditional decoction survived a simulated digestion.[1]Study

  • A 2024 review found lab studies reporting antioxidant, antibacterial, blood-sugar-lowering and anti-parasite effects.[7]Study

  • Leaf juice and water extracts lowered blood sugar in diabetic rats.[3]Study

  • Saltbush is the favorite food of the fat sand rat, a North African desert gerbil, and is low in calories. When sand rats are kept in a lab and fed standard rodent food instead, they develop type 2 diabetes within 4 weeks, which makes them a common animal model for studying diabetes.[8]Study

Research in people

  • In a small 2008 study, 16 people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes took Glucolevel, a tablet combining saltbush with walnut, olive and nettle leaves, 3 times a day for 4 weeks. Average blood sugar fell from 290 to 210 mg/dl in the first week, HbA1c (long-term blood sugar) fell from 8.2 to 6.9 in the 6 people tested, and no side effects were reported. Because it was a mixture with no comparison group, saltbush's own effect isn't known.[9]Study

In short

No human safety studies were found; absorbs heavy metals from soil.

Sources

  1. [1] Investigating the Nutritional Properties, Chemical Composition (UPLC-HR-MS) and Safety (Ames Test) of Atriplex halimus L. Leaves and Their Potential Health Implications · DOI: 10.3390/plants14213350Peer-reviewed study
  2. [2] Oxalate, calcium and ash intake and excretion balances in fat sand rats (Psammomys obesus) feeding on two different diets · DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2005.03.011Peer-reviewed study
  3. [3] The Therapeutic Properties, Ethno pharmacology and Phyto-chemistry of Atriplex Species: A review · DOI: 10.52700/pjbb.v2i1.38Peer-reviewed study
  4. [4] In Vitro Evaluations of Cytotoxicity of Eight Antidiabetic Medicinal Plants and Their Effect on GLUT4 Translocation · DOI: 10.1155/2013/549345Peer-reviewed study
  5. [5] Phytochemical Profiling, Antioxidant Capacity, and the Antidiabetic Potential of Atriplex halimus Extracts: UHPLC-MS/MS Analysis, In Vitro Enzyme Inhibition Assays, and Molecular Docking Studies · DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.70745Peer-reviewed study
  6. [6] Phytochemical Characterization and Evaluation of Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, Cytotoxic, Genotoxic, and Anti-Arthritic Activities of Atriplex halimus Aqueous Leaf Extract · DOI: 10.3390/plants15142164Peer-reviewed study
  7. [7] Atriplex halimus: Phytochemical Insights, Traditional Applications, and Pharmacological Promises · DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202402171Peer-reviewed study
  8. [8] Circadian rhythms-related disorders in diurnal fat sand rats under modern lifestyle conditions: A review · DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.963449Peer-reviewed study
  9. [9] Maintaining a physiological blood glucose level with 'glucolevel', a combination of four anti-diabetes plants used in the traditional Arab herbal medicine · DOI: 10.1093/ecam/nem047Peer-reviewed study

This information is educational and traditional in nature, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Unfamiliar word? See what these words mean.