Herbs for Diabetes - Helpful in Diabetes Control

16 Apr

Posted by admin as Diabetes Information

Diabetes is characterized by higher than normal blood sugar or blood glucose levels in the body. While a certain amount of glucose is necessary for proper cell nutrition, abnormally high glucose levels can be harmful to your health and can lead to serious complications.

Herbs for Diabetes

Gymnema assists the pancreas in the production of insulin in Type 2 diabetes. Gymnema also improves the ability of insulin to lower blood sugar in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. It decreases cravings for sweet. This herb can be an excellent substitute for oral blood sugar-lowering drugs in Type 2 diabetes. Some people take 500 mg per day of gymnema extract.

The aptly named bitter melon is thought to help cells use glucose more effectively and block sugar absorption in the intestine. When Philippine researchers had men and women take bitter melon in capsule form for three months, they had slight, but consistently, lower blood sugar than those taking a placebo. Gastrointestinal problems are possible side effects.

One Chinese herb that shows promise in the diabetes treatment in called mai men dong or ophiopogon. Research done in China has demonstrated that it can potentially stimulate regeneration of cells in the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. The cells in this part of the pancreas are responsible for the proper production of insulin, and therefore the proper processing of blood sugar in the body. Stimulating regeneration of these cells can potentially reverse diabetes in adult-onset diabetics.

A decoction of the leaves of the blueberry has a long history of folk use in the treatment of diabetes. The compound myrtillin (an anthocyanoside) is apparently the most active ingredient. Upon injection it is somewhat weaker than insulin, but is less toxic, even at 50 times the 1 g per day therapeutic dose. A single dose can produce beneficial effects lasting several weeks.

Asian ginseng is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat diabetes. It has been shown to enhance the release of insulin from the pancreas and to increase the number of insulin receptors. It also has a direct blood sugar-lowering effect.

Kino (Pterocarpus Marsupium) is also known as Dragon’s Blood, Pitasara and Venga. It has been used for centuries in the Ayurvedic traditional medical system of India for diabetes, and is showing promise in modern studies on the disease. The gum resin of this Indian tree has the look of dried blood, hence the name. An alcohol extract of the resin and the flavonoid epicatechin extracted from the bark of the tree both have been shown to prevent pancreatic alpha cell damage in rats and to actually regenerate beta cells. These pancreatic cells directly or indirectly control metabolic processes to balance blood sugar levels in the blood stream

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