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Herbs That Lower Blood Sugar

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What is blood sugar?

Diabetes is a lifelong condition that affects the body’s blood glucose and insulin levels. Treatment includes lifestyle strategies and sometimes drugs, but some complementary therapies, like supplements and herbs, may help. In diabetes, the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or produces insulin that the body doesn’t use properly.

Herbs and supplements won’t cure diabetes and don’t constitute a standalone therapy, but some could combine with traditional treatment to give relief from symptoms and lessen the chance of complications.

The same is true for remedies for type 2 diabetes. You have therapies that may reverse diabetes through diet and lifestyle modifications, natural supplements that can help stabilize glucose levels, and also herbs that may lower blood glucose. Maintaining normal blood glucose levels is necessary for your body’s overall health.

See: Signs of diabetes in women

Herbs & spices for blood sugar

Some herbs and spices found in nature do a noble job of reducing blood glucose levels, making them a boon for diabetics and pre-diabetics. Moreover, being the workhorse of mother nature, spices and herbs also create overall health benefits beyond simply helping lower blood sugar.

To state the obvious, herbs & spices come from natural sources. Whereas herbs come from the green and leafy area of the plant, spices are parts of the plant aside from the leafy bit, such as the root, stem, or bark.

The following are some of the best herbs that lower blood glucose, together with a few spices thrown in to give you a broader list. Many herbs, such as ginger and garlic, are considered part of food and are used traditionally by different cultures throughout the world in their daily diet due to their additional medical benefits.

See: Syzygium Jambolinum To Stabilize Blood Sugar

Best herbs to lower blood sugar.

These are some excellent choices for natural herbs that help blood sugar:

 Gymnema Sylvester

Gymnema Sylvester extract helps repair and regenerate pancreatic beta cells, which produce insulin. This potent herb promotes glucose utilization in the cells, thus lowering blood sugar. Additionally, it prevents the liver from releasing more glucose into the blood flow and lowers triglycerides and cholesterol. Some people today feel Gymnema Sylvester is among the most effective herbs for treating high blood sugar — both type 1 and 2 diabetics. Additionally, Gymnema Sylvestre can help rejuvenate beta cells in the pancreas, thus helping cure the problem.

Gymnema Sylvestre is original to the central & southern parts of India. Used in traditional Indian medicine since the 6th century BC, the leaves of the plant contain ‘gymnemic acids’, which have the incredible ability to slow down the transfer of sugar from the intestines into the bloodstream. Some scientists even think Gymnema Sylvestre extract can help repair and regenerate pancreatic beta cells, which produce insulin.

A clinical trial was conducted in the department of biochemistry, Postgraduate Institute of basic medical sciences, India, that studied 22 patients with type 2 diabetes. It noted that supplementing the body with 400 mg of Gymnema Sylvestre extract daily resulted in remarkable reductions in blood sugar levels, hemoglobin A1C and glycosylated plasma protein levels. Even more remarkable is that by the end of the 18-month study, participants could decrease the dose of the prescription diabetes medication. Five were completely off medication and attaining steady blood glucose levels with Gymnema Sylvestre supplementation alone.

Other research in the same institute studied the possible regeneration of the islets of Langerhans in rats that were made diabetic to the analysis and then provided Gymnema Sylvester leaf extracts. The diabetic rats could double the number of islets and beta cell numbers. Researchers believed that the herbal therapy managed to bring blood glucose stability by repairing the pancreas and increasing insulin secretion.

See: Type 2 Diabetic Meal Plan Ideas

Bitter melon

Momordica charantia (better known as bitter melon) is a medicinal fruit. Practitioners of traditional Indian and Chinese medicine have used bitter melon for centuries. People can cook the fruit and use it in many dishes. Some scientists have been looking into its potential medicinal applications.

There’s some proof that bitter melon may help with the symptoms of diabetes. One review has noted that individuals have used many plant areas to help treat diabetes.

Research has shown that taking bitter melon in the following forms can lead to a reduction in blood sugar levels in some individuals:

– seeds

– mixed vegetable pulp

– juice

– supplements

Eating or drinking the bitter melon may be an acquired taste, but taking supplements can make it more palatable. There’s insufficient evidence to support using bitter melon rather than medication or insulin for diabetes. However, it might help people rely on these medications or lower their doses.

See: Type 2 Diabetes Meal Plan for a Day

Milk thistle

Milk thistle may have anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it potentially helpful for individuals with diabetes.

Individuals have used milk thistle since ancient times for various ailments, especially as a liver tonic. Silymarin, the extract from milk thistle that has received the most attention from scientists, is a compound with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. These are the properties that can create milk thistle a helpful herb for those who have diabetes.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon may positively affect glycemic control and the lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes. According to research, cinnamon might positively influence glycemic control and lipid profile in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2. This is because it comprises 18 percent polyphenol content in dry weight. This popular Indian spice may improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control. According to a study published in the American Board of Family Medicine journal, cinnamon lowered HbA1C by 0.83% compared with standard medication alone, lowering HbA1C by 0.37%. They added that in addition to other care measures, taking cinnamon could help lower serum HbA1C in type 2 diabetics.

Cloves

Cloves offer anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and digestive health benefits for diabetics. According to research, cloves protect the heart, liver, and lens of the eye of diabetic rats. This spice includes 30 percent of the antioxidant phenol in dry weight, together with antioxidants anthocyanins and quercetin. Because of this, cloves have antiseptic in addition to germicidal properties. Additionally, it supplies anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and digestive health benefits for diabetics.

Rosemary

Rosemary helps normalize blood glucose levels naturally. An aromatic herb that’s used commonly to add flavor and aroma to meats and soups, Rosemary helps normalize glucose levels naturally. It promotes weight loss and is a double blessing for many diabetics who struggle with weight problems. A study conducted in Jordan to examine the effects of rosemary on lipid profile in diabetic rats demonstrated that rosemary has no substantial influence on normal rats’ serum glucose levels and lipid profile. But when rosemary infusion was administered to diabetic rats for four weeks, their blood glucose levels decreased by 20%, cholesterol levels by 22%, triglyceride levels by 24 percent, and LDL by 27 percent while HDL increased by 18%, respectively.

Oregano

Oregano is considered among the best herbs to lower blood sugar levels. Popular in Italian, Spanish and Mediterranean cooking, oregano is among the best herbs to lower blood glucose levels.

Sage

Sage is considered among the best herbs to lower blood sugar levels. Sage can have metformin-like effects, according to a study which is published in the British Journal of Nutrition. So you might want to think about cooking with this herb frequently. It’s been used in traditional medicine for centuries as one of the essential herbs to decrease blood sugar. A word of caution — taking high doses of rosemary with diabetes drugs might cause your blood sugar to go too low, a condition called hypoglycemia. Monitor your blood glucose closely.

Curry leaves

Curry leaves help to stabilize blood sugar levels and affect carbohydrate metabolism. Another popular ingredient in the Indian spice rack is curry leaves help to stabilize blood sugar levels and affect carbohydrate metabolism. Indian research published in the international journal of development research examined the ramifications of curry leaves on type 2 diabetes. According to the research data, curry leaves contain a phytochemical that may help control blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes by reducing fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels. Diabetic rats given a dose of approximately 12gm daily for a month demonstrated that curry leaves can treat diabetes by influencing carbohydrate metabolism and enhancing kidney and liver function. Additionally, the remarkable antioxidant properties of curry leaves may boost pancreatic cell generation, thereby enhancing insulin function.

Garlic

Garlic helps decrease high cholesterol levels. A 2005 research on The anti-diabetic impact of garlic in ordinary and lab-induced diabetic rats, published in the journal phytomedicine, found that oral treatment significantly decreased serum glucose and total cholesterol. It concluded that garlic has to be regarded as a superb candidate for future human studies on diabetes mellitus. What is better, garlic also helps reduce high cholesterol levels, a complication that diabetics often confront.

Ginger

Individuals frequently use ginger to help treat inflammatory and digestive troubles. But in 2015, a review indicated it might also help treat diabetes. The results showed that ginger reduced blood glucose levels but didn’t lower blood glucose levels. As a result of this, they suggest that ginger may decrease insulin resistance from the body for type 2 diabetes.

Ginger can normalize blood glucose levels, A spice popular for soothing your gut and helping digestion. Ginger also can normalize glucose levels. Several studies on rats show that ginger extract may have a substantial anti-hyperglycemic effect. It lowers serum total cholesterol and triglycerides and raises HDL-cholesterol levels. Diabetes is a digestive disorder. Diabetics often face problems with acid reflux. Ginger soothes the whole digestive tract, giving another reason to add ginger to their supplement regimen.

Turmeric

Turmeric has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties A popular spice used in Indian cooking and the main ingredient of ‘curry’, which has taken the world by storm, turmeric has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which all come together to assist diabetics in managing more stable glucose levels. It helps Boost immunity and prevents infections that diabetics tend to be vulnerable to. Studies conducted on rats prove that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, effectively reduces plasma glucose levels and HbA1C and improves the lipid profile. Many diabetics also suffer from arthritis since the sugar-laden blood and inflammatory processes typical to diabetes frequently damage joints. Turmeric, using its anti-inflammatory skills, also helps with these joint pains.

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