Diabetes: Try these three herbs to help control your diabetes

Diabetes, specifically type 2 diabetes, is a topic that comes up often in these emails.

It affects 1.3 million people in the UK and there may be as many as a million more people who have the disease but do not know it yet. So you can see why it is an important topic to address.

The good news is that I came across a diabetes study that looked at three traditional herbs that indicated a combination of the three could be useful for anyone having trouble with type 2 diabetes.

So I knew at once, that I needed to share this information with you.  

Three herbs can help lower blood sugar levels
Before we go into this new study, lets take a closer look at each of the three herbs, bittergourd, fenugreek and jambu.

Bittergourd, also called bitter melon (mormodica chirantia), has been found to be just as effective as glibenclamide in reducing blood sugar levels. In fact, a large study at Harvard University Medical School concluded that bittergourd is one of the best natural remedies for diabetes. It appears that it contains compounds similar in structure to insulin, which have the same effects in regulating blood sugar levels. There is also evidence that it can prevent the release of excess glucose into the bloodstream from the liver.

For centuries, fenugreek has grown wild in India, the Mediterranean and North Africa. According to the Encyclopaedia of Spices website, historically, it has been used in human medicine as a digestive aid among other uses. As an emollient it is used in poultices for boils, cysts and other complaints. Reducing the sugar level of the blood, it is used in diabetes in conjunction with insulin. In one animal study, researchers found that fenugreek acts at the cellular level to produce its hypoglycaemia (blood sugar-lowering) effects.

In India, jambu (eugenia jambolana) has long been used as a carminative (an agent that relieves flatulence) in diarrhoea, to strengthen the stomach and encourage its actions. In one study, extract from jambu pulp showed significant hypoglycaemic activity in rabbits.

But a combination of all three herbs might be better
Now lets go back to the new study.

Scientists examined 60 men with type 2 diabetes and randomly assigned them to receive either raw or cooked preparations of three herbs: dried fruit of bittergourd, fenugreek seeds and jambu seeds.

The people taking the raw herbs, received two 500mg capsules containing the herbs (totalling one gram) to be taken daily for 45 days. They then took four capsules (totalling two grams) of the herbs for the next 45 days. The group assigned to receive the cooked herbs, were given two salty biscuits with 500mg of the herbs (totalling one gram) baked into each biscuit for 45 days. They then also increased to eating four biscuits (totalling two grams of herbs) for the following 45 days.

Researchers looked at the volunteers blood and urine sugar levels during fasting and two hours after meals, after the first 45 day phase and again after the second phase. 

They found that the fasting and after meals blood sugar levels dropped significantly in both groups after the first 45 days when they were receiving one gram of the herbs daily. Researchers also found that these levels dropped significantly again when both groups were receiving two grams of the herbs.

The results of this study suggest that a combination of these herbs, bittergourd, fenugreek and jambu, can help improve blood sugar levels in men with type 2 diabetes. However, further studies should be conducted to confirm these findings. Specifically, they should do a study that compares the combination of these three herbs to each herb taken individually. That way we can see just how effective they are when taken together.

So if you have diabetes and need help lowering your blood sugar levels, you should speak to your GP about trying one or all of these herbs. But remember, that you shouldnt stop taking your medication or add to your supplement regime, without first consulting your doctor.

Unfortunately, the study didnt indicate if the raw herbs or cooked herbs were better. So it is up to personal preference if you decide to try these herbs.