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Herbs For Diabetes That Lower Blood Sugar

Table of Contents

How This Helps

Whenever someone has type 2 diabetes, it ought to be controlled through controlled blood glucose levels. If diet and exercise do not control blood glucose, some individuals with type 2 diabetes turn to medications like metformin. However, increasing research indicates that alternative medicine may also help control blood glucose.

Although research is limited in this region, some herbal supplements do show promise in treating type 2 diabetes, such as curcumin, ginseng, cinnamon, aloe vera, bitter melon, fenugreek,  psyllium, milk thistle, and holy basil. According to the NCCAM, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, there’s still not enough compelling evidence to endorse the use of herbal supplements as successful type 2 diabetes treatments. While a number of these supplements show promise, until results from other studies come out, don’t take herbs to treat diabetes type 2 without first consulting with your physician. Herbal supplements have side effects and may interfere with other drugs.

See: Yoga Helps You & Your Baby For Gestational Diabetes

What is blood sugar?

Diabetes is a lifelong condition that affects the blood
glucose and insulin levels in the body. 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 exact same is true for remedies for diabetes type 2. 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: Brown Rice Fish Pulav For Diabetes

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.
What is more, being the workhorse of mother nature, spices and
herbs also create overall health benefits beyond simply helping lowering 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 the food and are used
traditionally by different cultures throughout the world in their daily diet
due to their additional medical benefits.

See: Normal blood glucose levels & Diabetes

Best herbs to lower blood sugar

These are some good 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 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 that Gymnema Sylvestre extract can help repair and
regenerate pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin.

There was a clinical trial conducted in 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. What
is 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 conducted in the same institute studied
possible regeneration of the islets of Langerhans in rats which were made
diabetic to the analysis and then provided Gymnema Sylvester leaf extracts. Diabetic rats could double the number of islets and beta cell numbers.
Researchers believed that herbal therapy managed to bring blood glucose
stability by repairing the pancreas and increasing insulin secretion.

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 are able to cook the fruit and use it
in many dishes. Some scientists have been looking into its potential medicinal
applications.

See: Acupuncture For Gestational Diabetes Treatment

There’s some proof that bitter melon may help with the
symptoms of diabetes. 1 review has noted that individuals have used many areas
of the plant 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 not sufficient 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.

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, and especially as a tonic for the liver. 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 have a positive effect on glycemic control
and the lipid profile in patients with diabetes kind 2 according to research,
cinnamon might have a positive influence on glycemic control and the 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 journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, cinnamon lowered
HbA1C by 0.83% compared with standard medication alone lowering HbA1C 0.37%. They
added that in addition to other care measures, taking cinnamon could be useful
for lowering serum HbA1C in type 2 diabetics.

 

Cloves

Cloves offer anti-inflammatory, analgesic and digestive
health benefits for diabetics. Cloves protect the heart, liver, and lens of the
eye of diabetic rats, according to research. 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
also, and it 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 serum glucose level and lipid profile of normal rats. But when
rosemary infusion was administered to diabetic rats for 4 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
regarded as 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 on traditional medicine for
centuries, as one of the essential herbs to decrease blood sugar. A word of
caution — taking high doses of rosemary together 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,
curry leaves help to stabilize blood sugar levels and affect carbohydrate
metabolism. Indian research published in the international journal of
development research examined in detail the ramifications curry leaves have on
diabetes type 2. According to the research data, curry leaves contain a phytochemical
that may help control blood glucose levels in patients with Diabetes type 2 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 awesome antioxidant properties of curry
leaves may boost pancreatic cell generation, thereby enhancing insulin
function.

 

Garlic

Garlic helps decrease high cholesterol level a 2005 research, 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 is able to normalize blood glucose levels A spice
that’s popular for soothing your gut and helping digestion, Ginger also has the
ability to normalize glucose levels. A number of studies conducted on rats show
that ginger extract may have a substantial anti-hyperglycemic effect. It lowers
serum total cholesterol, triglycerides and raises the 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 to manage 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, is effective in
reducing plasma glucose level and HbA1C as well as improving 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.

See: Ayurveda For Gestational Diabetes Treatment

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