Herbal treatments for diabetes exist, and in fact, have been used for thousands of years in many cultures. The foundation of modern medicine and prescriptions is rooted in traditional medicine, which includes using herbs to fight ailments and disease. People in the western culture have lost sight of the effectiveness and efficiency of using natural products to enhance the natural illness fighting components of the body. Many modern prescriptions are derivatives of products found in nature, such as herbs.
Diabetes herbal treatments can be better determined when you have a good understanding of the disease and what exactly is happening in your body. Since there are different types of diabetes, it is important to understand what type of the disease you have.
Type I diabetes occurs when the pancreas in the body does not produce a sufficient amount of insulin to properly metabolize the sugar consumed. This type of diabetes has been called juvenile onset and insulin dependent. Traditional treatment for type I diabetes includes regular insulin injections from insulin taken from other animals or manufactured in a laboratory. Recent studies show that there is a plant derivative that can actually regenerate pancreatic cells. There is also a plant derivative that can be injected much like insulin, without the harsh toxic affects that traditional insulin injections can have on the body.
Type II diabetes occurs when the body produces enough insulin to properly handle sugar intake, but the body is resistant to the insulin and does not utilize it proficiently. This type of diabetes is also referred to as adult onset or insulin resistant. Type II diabetes has become an epidemic in the western culture and seems to go hand in hand with other diagnoses, such as obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart conditions. Thus, this disease seems to be a byproduct or our poor lifestyles, which include horrible diets, decreased physical activity, and insurmountable amounts of ongoing stress. Traditional treatment for type II diabetes includes making healthier lifestyle choices and often times oral medications. However, it is possible and even probable to cure type II diabetes with positive lifestyle changes. Part of these positive changes could very well be including herbal diabetes treatments into your daily routine.
Types of Herbal Treatments for Diabetes
Many supplements and herbs help the body decrease blood sugar naturally. Many of these natural products also help the body utilize the insulin that is produced more effectively. The natural foods and herbs that have been shown to do this include Magnesium (mineral), Chromium (mineral), Onion (vegetable), Garlic (vegetable), Gymnema Sylvestre (herb), Bitter Melon (herb), Prickly Pear Cactus (herb), and Fenugreek (herb). Some of these can be purchased and utilized completely naturally as part of a healthy diet. Others are best consumed in the form of supplements. Since these herbs naturally lower blood sugar they can benefit both types of diabetes.
As previously noted, there is an herb that has actually been shown to rebuild beta cells in the pancreas and it is called pterocarpus marsupium. According to an article on Holisticonline.com this herb produces a crude alcohol that can be extracted and consumed to help the pancreas heal itself. This same herb also produces a flavonoid called epicatechin that can do the same thing. The medical community has never been able to manufacture another product that can do this, and there currently are no other products in nature that have the ability to do this. This herb could have huge implications on the treatment and potentially the cure of type I diabetes.
Another discovery in the treatment of type I diabetes comes from the blueberry leaf. There is a substance in this leaf that can be extracted and injected into the body and has very similar affects to that of insulin. Studies show that one dose of this product can have positive implications that can last for several weeks.
There is also an herb called Billberry that has been shown to effectively decrease diabetic retinopathy. If you suffer from nerve damage due to your diabetes, Ginko Biloba, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA is found in evening primrose oil), and alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) have been shown to increase nerve function and decrease nerve pain.
Implementing Herbal Treatments for Diabetes
As with any new treatment program, it is essential that you consult your physician before beginning to be sure that the herbal treatments will not adversely affect your progress due to interactions or some other issue that you are currently unaware of.
Many patients are leaning toward healthy lifestyle changes and natural treatment options to fight chronic diseases and even cure them. If your physician is more traditional and does not have the knowledge base to help you develop an appropriate herbal treatment plan, ask for a referral to a practitioner that can help you. If your physician does not have a contact in this area of expertise, you might want to visit a website such as http://www.amfoundation.org/tcm.htm or American Holistic Medical Association. These sites have a referral database that can help you locate a reputable practitioner in your neighborhood.
