Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels is important for good health and many people use natural herbs as part of their program. These natural remedies can all be found in your kitchen or at the local store and easily added to your daily, healthy food diet.
Ginseng
Ginseng has long been touted as one of the best remedies for lowering blood glucose levels. Its active compounds have the ability to limit the tri-carboxylic acid cycle in order to increase insulin output, while also improving insulin response.
Studies have proven the potency of ginseng as a blood glucose modulator among diabetic and non-diabetic patients.
Ginseng has many other health benefits too, so don’t leave this ingredient off your shopping list.
Bitter Melon
This Asian vegetable, as its name suggests, has a bitter taste. It contains a plant-based, insulin-like substance called lectin. Lectin works effectively in keeping blood glucose low throughout the body.
Research shows that bitter melon is beneficial in assisting proper carbohydrate digestion which helps ensure a steady release of glucose into the bloodstream.
It helps reverse insulin resistance and to prevent the onset of complications that many diabetics are prone to suffer from.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is another helpful kitchen companion that has been used medicinally for centuries. Cinnamon treats many conditions, one of which is lowering blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.
A study which was published in the journal titled Diabetes Care revealed that people who were given cinnamon experienced an 18 to 29% drop in their blood glucose levels.
Other studies conducted regarding cinnamon for diabetics has shown that it works by slowing down the rate in which the stomach is emptied, helping stabilize glucose release into the bloodstream.
The only trap here is to assume those cakes and donuts will be alright to eat if they are sprinkled with cinnamon. Wrong. You can use cinnamon in other ways, it doesn’t have to be a dessert additive.
Although cinnamon is known to be relatively safe, some people can be allergic to it. Excessive use of cinnamon may also cause mouth sores or may even cause skin burns in some people.
Garlic
Garlic improves glucose tolerance while increasing the amount of insulin being released into the body.
Researchers have found this is made possible by several compounds in each clove of garlic, such as allyl propyldisulfide, S-allyl cysteine sulfoxide and allicin. These compounds work together to improve a person’s insulin levels by blocking the onset of insulin inactivation in the liver.
In turn, more insulin will be made available for the body to use. This has been proven in a study that was published in the Journal of Medicinal Food. In addition, findings from a separate study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry also showed that garlic can be helpful for lowering the risk of suffering from diabetes-induced cardiomyopathy.
Oregano
Oregano contains blood sugar regulating compounds known as glucosides. This herb is also known in some countries as marjoram.
The regular consumption of foods that contain oregano helps people lower blood sugar levels, much like many medications for diabetes do.
Experts emphasize that even though these herbs are effective in managing blood sugar levels, they still cannot serve as a substitute for what a healthy lifestyle, diet and regular exercise can do in preventing the onset of diabetes and in regulating blood sugar levels.
There is no one silver bullet for overcoming high blood sugar levels, but these herbs can be an effective and natural part of the solution.
