A group of four Indonesian students have won gold medals for their therapeutic tea that helps diabetics in China in a competition for inventions and innovative ideas.
The students, who developed the therapeutic tea to aid those who suffer from type 2 diabetes, struck gold at the 10th International Exhibition of Inventions (IEI) and the 3rd World Invention and Innovation Forum (WIIF) in Foshan China, The Jakarta Post reported.
The four nursing students from Airlangga University (Unair) were Novia Tri Handika, Indriani Dwi Wulandari, Nurul Hidayati and Nesiya Pratiwindya Sudarsiwi and were led by Unair lecturer Setho Hadiyusmana.
Novia told kompas.com that complaints about the price of diabetes treatment inspired the team to make a safe yet cheap alternative.
The tea, which is presented in the form of a tea bag, is composed of 50% watermelon skin, 30% rosella and 20% jasmine. It took the group about five months to develop the product, which they named Albedo Romin Tea.
Novia said the watermelon epidermis contains citrulline, which helps the body produce insulin in the liver to reduce blood sugar levels. The rosella petals contain flavonoids, which helps improve pancreatic beta cell performance to produce insulin.