Ginger For Diabetes: Is It Really Safe And Good?

Ginger for Diabetes: Is It Really Safe and Good?

Ginger is a spice obtained from rhizomes (underground parts of the stem) of Zingiber officinale plant.
Due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, people in India and China have been using it as a natural remedy for many diseases, including nausea, morning sickness, motion sickness, Alzheimer's disease, flu, and cold for over 3,000 years ( 1 , 2 ).
Besides, it also reduces cholesterol, helps in weight loss and stimulates blood circulation ( 3 , 4 , 5 )
Allegedly, it may also slow down the growth of tumor (cancer) cells.
Ginger contains some bioactive plant substances, the most important of which is gingerol.
This molecule is responsible for most anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antidiabetic effects of ginger.
There are many ways to eat ginger. You may use it as a spice or food ingredient, make some ginger tea or buy some ginger powder, oil or juice in your local pharmacy or specialized stores.
Cosmetic manufacturers also add ginger to beauty products.
Many people think that the edible part of ginger is its root, but it is not true. The piece of the Zingiber officinale plant used in medicine is called rhizome, which is an underground section of the stem.
The summary: Ginger rhizomes contain gingerol, which is a potent phytochemical with strong antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic properties. You can consume ginger in various ways, including ginger tea, powder, juice or spice.
New research suggests that ginger may have strong antidiabetic effects. Ginger has a positive impact not only on diabetes itself, but it may also help in the trea Continue reading

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Bitter melon tops herbal remedies for diabetes

Bitter melon tops herbal remedies for diabetes
Researchers have identified functional foods and phytonutrients that could be effectively used to manage diabetes.Top on the list, according to the report published in the book entitled, Food as Medicine: Functional Food Plants of Africa, and journal Current Pharmacology Reports, are: bitter melon; Aloe vera; bitter kola; bitter leaf; clove oil; coconut oil; garlic; ginger; black pepper (utazi in Ibo); guava leaves; velvet beans; bush mango; onion; okra; plantain; scent leaf; soursop; soybeans; tea leaves; and turmeric.
Commonly called bitter melon, bitter gourd, African cucumber or balsam pear, Momordica charantia belongs to the plant family Cucurbitaceae. In Nigeria, bitter melon is called ndakdi in Dera; dagdaggi in Fula-Fulfulde; hashinashiap in Goemai; daddagu in Hausa; iliahia in Igala; akban ndene in Igbo (Ibuzo in Delta State); dagdagoo in Kanuri; akara aj, ejinrin nla, ejinrin weeri, ejirin-weewe or igbole aja in Yoruba.
Black pepper (Gongronema latifolium) is known by the Ikales of Ondo State of Nigeria as Iteji. The Ibos call the plant Utazi; the Efik/ Ibibio call it Utasi while the Yorubas call it Arokeke.
Botanically called Vernonia amygdalina, bitter leaf is of the plant family Compositae. It is called Ewuro in Yoruba and Onugbu in Ibo.Botanically called Ocimum gratissimum, scent leaf or basil belongs to the mint family Lameacea. It is called Effirin in Yoruba and Nchuanwu or Arigbe in Ibo.
The author of Food as Medicine: Functional Food Plants of Africa and professor of pharmacognosy, Maurice Iwu, said his Continue reading

Herbs for Diabetes - Diabetes Self-Management

Herbs, better called plant medicines, can often help manage blood sugar levels. An incredible variety of plants lower blood sugar and improve insulin function, but theres a lot to learn to make them work.
First, speak with your doctor you should not start relying on plants or stop your medicines on your own. Youll need to work closely with your diabetes health-care provider, and youll need to do some research and monitor yourself. Still, millions of people are using plant medicines, and a number of them have written to Diabetes Self-Management to tell us that theyre working.
Herbs scientifically shown to help diabetes
Many of these studies used rodents, or even test tubes, but they certainly show that herbs could potentially work. And we have thousands of human anecdotes supporting their use. Here are some of the best documented.
The vegetable/fruit called bitter melon , bitter gourd, or karela seems to stop insulin resistance. It gets glucose into cells. You can cook with it (many Chinese recipes incorporate this ingredient), eat it raw, or juice it. You can get it at Asian markets or farmers markets, or sometimes in supermarkets. It can also be taken as capsules or a tea.
Okra , a vegetable used in stews and gumbos, reduces insulin resistance and slows glucose absorption in rodents. You can cook with okra, eat it raw, or soak it in water and drink the water. You can also buy capsules.
Turmeric is one of the tastiest diabetes treatments. You can cook with it or take capsules, or sprinkle the powder on food. It absorbs better if you take it with black pepper. Th Continue reading

Expert: Diabetes, And How To Recognise The Signs

There's an estimated 225,840 people living with Diabetes in Ireland; and the prevalence of Type 1 Diabetes is on the rise. Typically diagnosed in childhood, people with Type 1 Diabetes account for approximately 14,000 – 16,000 of the total diabetes population in Ireland. It's estimated that there are 2,750 people under 16 years-of-age living with Type 1 diabetes, and up to 5 Irish children and teenagers are diagnosed each week.
But what exactly is Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes? What are the signs to look out for, and how can symptoms be managed? Vicky Doyle, Health Promotion Executive for Diabetes Ireland, is here to give you all the answers.
What is Diabetes mellitus?
Diabetes mellitus is a lifelong condition caused by a lack, or insufficiency of Insulin: A hormone of vital importance, that's made by your pancreas. It acts like a key to open doors into your cells, letting sugar (glucose) in. But in Diabetes, the pancreas makes too little insulin to enable all the sugar in your blood to get into your muscle and other cells to produce energy. If sugar can’t get into the cells to be used, it builds up in the bloodstream: So, Diabetes is characterized by high blood sugar (glucose) levels.
Before you got Diabetes
Before you got Diabetes, your body automatically kept your blood sugar exactly at the right level. Here’s how that worked: After a meal containing carbohydrates, sugar is absorbed into the blood stream very quickly. The amount of sugar in your blood must not get too high or too low. Two hormones – Insulin and Glucagon – were produced in the pancreas, to ensure t Continue reading

Latinos targeted in diabetes education efforts

Latinos targeted in diabetes education efforts
BELTON Adjusting times and locations may not be enough to attract those in the Hispanic community to diabetes education classes.
Latinos make up the fastest-growing demographic of the U.S. population. They also are experiencing the fastest increase in the rates of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
According to an American Diabetes Association analysis of diabetes health data, 52.5 percent of Hispanic women and 45.4 percent of Hispanic men will have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes in their lifetimes.
Reaching out with education opportunities was the discussion at the most recent meeting of the Bell County Diabetes Coalition.
Baylor Scott & White has offered a diabetes education classes Power Over Diabetes, but none of the participants have been Hispanic and the majority of patients hospitalized for complications related to diabetes have been Hispanic, said Becky Calhoun, Baylor Scott & White nurse and an instructor for the class. A translator is available for each class.
Do Well, Be Well, a diabetes class offered by AgriLife Extension was held at Churches Touching Lives For Christ was well attended, but not by Hispanics, said Martha Williams, Williams, retired nurse and diabetes educator. Williams and Anna Morrow, community worker with Central Texas Food Bank, taught the classes.
Williams moved to Temple from the Valley, where she taught diabetes education classes in the colonias.
Morrow brought the Diabetes Box Program, a partnership between the food bank and Baylor Scott & White, to the food pantry. The program included on Continue reading