Salacia oblonga can be used as a diabetic herb according to information available at sciencedaily.com. The article cites a information published in the Journal of the American Diabetic Association in 2005. Thirty-nin healthy adults participated in the study. The extracts from this herb that is used in traditional Indian medicine appeared to lower blood sugar and insulin levels in a manner similar to the administration of prescription drugs. The article says that patients in the study who received 1,000 milligrams of salacia oblonga experienced a drop in blood glucose and insulin levels by as much as 29 percent.

The herb works by clinging to intestinal enzymes in the body that break down carbohydrates and turn them into glucose. If the enzyme instead attaches to the enzyme rather than carbohydrates, less glucose will make it to the blood stream causing decreased insulin and blood glucose levels. The herb comes from the …