Simple Herbal Remedies for Sugar Imbalance and Diabetes

Category : Health

Herbs to Help with Diabetes Control

If you have been diagnosed with insulin resistance or high blood sugar levels, you can take certain nutrients to help control and even lower your blood sugar level.

Several herbal preparations have been used to control blood sugar levels since as early as 1550 B.C.3 Here are a few of the herbs that have been adequately studied to determine their actual effects and potencies:

Gymnema sylvestre (leaf). This age-old herb from tropical India destroys sugar taste when the leaves are chewed and is often promoted as an appetite suppressant for weight-loss. More importantly, several small placebo-controlled trials show that gymnema extracts lower blood sugar levels by enhancing the action of insulin. Animal studies indicate that gymnema can double the number of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and bring blood sugar levels to normal. Research findings also indicate that gymnemacan improve blood sugar control so that smaller doses of oral diabetes drugs are needed. Several human trials clearly show quite a significant improvement in blood sugar levels with gymnema.4

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum). Fenugreek has been found to improve glucose levels, presumably by decreasing absorption of glucose in the small intestine. One large fenugreek study examined participants with poorly controlled Type II diabetes and found an average fasting blood sugar decrease from 151 mg/dL (baseline) to 112 mg/dL after 24 weeks.5

Ginseng root (Korean and American ginseng). Ginseng has been studied and used as a treatment for infections and diabetes generally for up to three months with repeated courses. One study showed a significant reduction in post-prandial (after eating) glucose versus placebo in Type II diabetes.6

Citrus aurantium (orange bitters). This herb stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, thus increasing metabolism and lowering appetite.

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum). Milk thistle is extremely good at cleansing the liver, an important factor in diabetes. In doses over 1,500 mg per day, loose stools as a result of increased bile flow and secretion can occur.7 This desired effect makes it the herb of choice for any liver-related diseases, including liver toxicity associated with acetaminophen, anti-psychotics, halothane, and alcohol.8

Green tea. Green tea helps increase metabolism and reduce chronic disease. It significantly reduces food intake, body weight, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. In one study, green tea increased insulin activity by about 15-fold, an effect of the active ingredient, EGCG.9

Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus). Bilberry leaves have a reported weak anti-diabetic activity and have been shown experimentally to lower blood sugar levels consistently by 26% in rats.10 In folk medicine, its blood sugar-reducing effect is touted so that it is a common constituent in “anti-diabetic”

Cinnamon. This spice increases sugar metabolism in rodent fat cells 20-fold according to a report in Diabetes Care. Researchers found that less than one-half teaspoon of cinnamon daily for 40 days significantly dropped blood sugar levels in 60 study participants with Type II diabetes.

Devil’s claw (Oplopanax horridum). The devil’s claw plant reportedly contains insulin-like substances, but its chemistry is still under investigation. The root can be made into a tincture and just five drops on the tongue can help stop sugar cravings.

Blood sugar imbalance and diabetes are both treatable without risky prescription medications if you are willing to take an honest look at what you eat, examine how active you are, and monitor how much stress you experience every day. To help normalize elevated blood sugar levels, consider one or more of the supplements recommended in this article.

[Ed. Note: The absolute best medicine just might be good information. For almost every condition you could be suffering from, nature has provided a cure you should know about.

Simple Herbal Remedies for Sugar Imbalance and Diabetes

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