Your “must-have” herbs for supreme blood sugar control

If you’re struggling to control your blood sugar, there are some remedies you may already have at home that can help right away.

These are simple herbal preparations, which can assist you in managing a wide range of issues common to diabetes and pre-diabetes.

And a good place to start is with a strangely named herb — fenugreek — which has a surprising amount of research to back up its use.

Versatile, effective, and proven

Cooks and herbal healers of various cultures have praised fenugreek for thousands of years.

A potent anti-inflammatory effect tops the list of fenugreek’s benefits. The seeds can also increase your body’s natural levels of choline — a compound in the family of B vitamins that helps maintain brain function and memory.

And an abundance of research shows that fenugreek can help diabetic patients. Let’s take a quick look at three clinical trials…

Researchers gave 66 adults diagnosed with prediabetes 5 grams of fenugreek extract two times daily. More than 70 additional recruits took a placebo. After three years of intervention, those in the fenugreek group had lower fasting blood sugar, lower postprandial blood sugar, and significantly higher insulin levels compared to volunteers in the control group. Most impressively, controls were four times more likely to develop diabetes compared to the fenugreek group.

Thirty type 2 diabetics took a daily dose of 10 grams of fenugreek seeds soaked in hot water. Another 30 diabetes patients participated as controls. All participants followed diet and exercise regimens recommended by the American Diabetic Association. In the fifth month of intervention, those in the fenugreek group had significant reduction of fasting blood sugar. And in the sixth and final month, fenugreek participants also had an impressive reduction of HbA1C — a test that reveals blood sugar levels over a period of several weeks.

In another placebo-controlled trial, 2 type 2 diabetes patients took 1 gram of hydroalcoholic extract of fenugreek seeds daily, and a group of 13 matched controls took a placebo and followed the same dietary and exercise regimen as the fenugreek group. After two months, those taking fenugreek had markedly better blood sugar control and reduced insulin resistance. In addition, levels of dangerous triglycerides dropped while HDL cholesterol increased.

In Dr. Marc Micozzi’s Integrative Protocol for Defeating Diabetes, he recommends 1 gram of fenugreek seed extract daily, based on a comprehensive research review that found the herb to be highly beneficial in controlling blood sugar in diabetic patients.

But as impressive as fenugreek is, it’s just one of many herbs that diabetics use to manage the disease.

Different herbs trigger different mechanisms

According to Dr. Micozzi, available research shows that herbal remedies appear to work in three ways. They:

Drive blood sugar into tissues
Stimulate insulin production
Block formation of blood sugar

In his protocol, Dr. Micozzi states that the following herbs also trigger one or more of these mechanisms, making it ideal for patients either with diabetes, or a family history of the disease:

Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng)

“May improve glucose tolerance, reduce serum insulin levels, and promote weight loss.”

Bilberry (huckleberry)

“It has been shown to protect against damage to the eye’s retina — one of the most devastating side effects of diabetes. Animal studies have shown it also lowers blood sugar and improves insulin resistance.” Bilberry also contains potent antioxidants.

Berberine

Dr. Micozzi notes that berberine is quickly becoming one of the “darlings” of the nutritional medicine world. And he adds, “The ‘buzz’ has focused largely on this herbal remedy’s ability to balance blood sugar and combat diabetes. I know it’s also a blockbuster for brain health. Because there’s so much research, I can make a recommendation for intake: 400 to 500 milligrams daily.”

Gymnema sylvestre

This herbal is also called gurmar in Ayurvedic medicine, which means “destroyer of sugar.” And Dr. Micozzi adds, “Research shows extracts from this tropical plant reduce blood sugar in people with diabetes. A dosage used by clinicians is: 400 mg, three times daily, with meals.”

Sutherlandia frutescens

This versatile treatment is an adaptogen, which means it has the ability to help your body adapt to changes, both internal and external. Dr. Micozzi notes that it’s also been used in South Africa for centuries to boost energy, strengthen immunity, and heal disease. Extensive research shows that it can regulate glucose metabolism and prevent insulin resistance. His recommendation: 400 – 500 mg per day.

This is just a sampling of the herbal treatments Dr. Micozzi recommends, based on solid, scientific evidence. Of course, you can find most of these supplements online, in major pharmacies, or your local health supplements retailer.

However, he does note that science still don’t have enough research to confidently assign dosage for all the herbals listed, so he recommends working closely with a practitioner skilled in nutritional medicine who can help determine the right doses for you while also tracking your response to any treatments you use.

You can learn much more about these and other non-drug approaches to blood sugar control in Dr. Micozzi’s Integrative Protocol for Defeating Diabetes. Click here to keep reading about this online learning tool, or to enroll today.

SOURCES

“Role of Fenugreek in the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus in prediabetes” Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders 2015; 14: 74. doi: 10.1186/s40200-015-0208-4

“A simple dietary addition of fenugreek seed leads to the reduction in blood glucose levels: A parallel group, randomized single-blind trial” Ayu 2017; 38(1-2): 24-27. doi: 10.4103/ayu.AYU_209_15

“Effect of Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek) seeds on glycaemic control and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a double blind placebo controlled study.” The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India” 2001; 49: 1057-1061. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11868855