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BOTANICAL APPROACHES TO THE
TREATMENT OF DIABETES
Article by herbalist
Dave
Hawkins, MH, CNC
The
use of botanicals has a long folk
history for the treatment
of blood sugar abnormalities. Prior to the development of
insulin injection therapy in 1921, diabetes was managed
entirely with herbal medicines. The World Health
Organization has researched numerous plants over the last
two decades looking for a way to reverse or manage this
debilitating disorder. This article
will deal with some of the findings and how a person can
become informed. As with any condition and especially
diabetes, it is important to consult with your health care
professional before changing your therapy.
Diabetes mellitus (diabetes)
is a common disorder affecting approximately 4% of the
population. This equates to over 30 million worldwide.
Diabetes and blood sugar imbalances are associated with
western, industrialized cultures that consume highly
refined and processed fiber depleted diets.
This article will not deal
with the dietary imbalances or the nutrient support that
has been shown effective but will center on specific
botanicals and how they work to improve blood sugar balance
or work to prevent many of the negative breakdown
conditions of the body such as retinopathy, neuropathy,
ulcers, heart and circulatory disorders.
A brief description of
diabetes is that it is a chronic degenerative disease
caused by lack of or resistance to the hormone insulin,
which is essential for blood sugar metabolism. Normally
blood sugar rises after a meal as glucose is absorbed into
the system. This causes the pancreas to produce enough
insulin to return the blood sugar to normal. Diabetics have
problems with either production of insulin or they have a
resistance to insulin uptake thus having an excess of
glucose in the blood which has a negative effect on the
body overall. There are two types of diabetics:
Type 1 (insulin dependent) or Type 2 (non-insulin
dependent).
According to herbalist David
Hoffman, past president of the American Herbalist Guild,
there are many plants that have proven hypoglycemic (blood
sugar lowering effects) properties that can contribute to a
comprehensive management program. He further states that
there are no plants that can replace insulin directly.
Let’s take a look at some of the more prominent plants:
Gymnema
Sylvestris – A native plant of
India with over 2,000
years of use for the treatment of diabetes.
It has been studied since the 1930s and has been
proven to reduce the amount of sugar the intestinal tract
can absorb. In
India it is called
gurmar that means sugar
eliminator. The plant has the ability of being able to
block the taste of sugar. The water-soluble extract of the
leaf has shown to decrease insulin requirements by one half
with an overall decrease in average blood sugar.
Cholesterol and triglycerides were lowered significantly.
· Bilberry (Vaccinium
myrtillus) has long been
used to treat diabetes. The flavanoid
compounds known as anthocyanosides
have been shown to lower plasma glucose levels by 26% in
animal studies, and in the same study it also lowered
triglyceride levels by 39%. The
hypoglycemic effects are very interesting but more
important are its effects on stabilizing collagen.
Thus, it
is useful in the prevention of the retinopathy and
capillary fragility problems associated with diabetes.
Anthocyanicides are
potent antioxidants and have a way of improving
circulation.
· Fenugreek Seed (Trigonella
foenum
graecum) contains an alkaloid compound
trigonelline which is thought
responsible for its action relating to lowering of blood
sugar. It has also been effective in lowering overall
cholesterol and triglycerides. The ground seed is used
daily.
· Bitter Melon (Momordica
charantia) found in
China,
India, South America and
Africa
has been used medicinally.
Research has confirmed the ability of fresh juice from the
unripe fruit to lower blood sugar directly.
Charantin one of the
active properties has been compared to the allopathic drug
tolbutamide as an effective
oral hypoglycemic agent.
A variety of liquid extracts have
shown to lower blood sugar and improve glucose tolerance in
human and animal studies.
Other plants that have shown
positive effects in diabetes treatment but are not as well
recognized are:
· Goat’s Rue (Galega
officinalis) has shown to
have hypoglycemic activity by enhancing glucose
utilization. It was researched in the early 1920s as a
possible therapy that led to the development of
antidiabetic
biguanide drugs. These drugs
had numerous side effects which the whole plant did not
produce. A study in 1961 found that
galega actually regenerated pancreatic cells.
· Gingko biloba enhances
peripheral circulation and is being used to prevent
vascular breakdown in diabetics. Supplementing with the
standardized extract has shown to be effective in
neuropathy, retinopathy and collagen stabilization.
The plants listed above are
the most researched, but there are literally hundreds of
other plants with hypo and hyperglycemic activity.
Another compound from plants, insulin is found in
dandelion root, burdock root, licorice root and Echinacea.
This compound is reported to be of benefit in lowering
hyperglycemia. Inula is a sugar
molecule that does not require insulin to be absorbed.
Two very popular vegetables
have been shown to a have blood glucose lowering effects.
They are onion and garlic with its sulfur compounds having
the most effects. Active allicin
is shown to compete with insulin through binding sites
within the liver. The drawback is the quantity that needs
to be eaten daily to have a therapeutic effect.
Plant fiber has also been
studied in the control of blood sugar. Guar gum,
pectins and
glucomannan (a gel fiber), and
psyllium have significantly
improved glycemic control,
insulin requirements and HDL cholesterol.
As you can see, there are
numerous plants that can be used in conjunction with
conventional diabetic maintenance programs. Of course,
there are many lifestyle adjustments that have been showing
some promise. I will address some of
these dietary changes in a later article.
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