
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
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