Diabetes : Cure By Indian Herbs
- Keep away from foods that are high in refined sugar, white rice and white flour. People with diabetes have difficulty in processing sugar. Refined sugar is quick to enter the bloodstream and increase the levels, causing a large surge in insulin. Ayurveda is not averse to the use of honey but it should not be heated.
- Keep away from too much of fats, particularly saturated fats – red meat, eggs, and dairy products. When fat enters the bloodstream it impedes the insulin’s action, which prevents it from lowering your blood sugar levels.
- Consider eating meals that are rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates. Fiber supplements like psyllium guar gum (found in beans), pectin (from fruits), oat barn and glucomannan. They help insulin to function normally and improve glucose tolerance.
- Include linoleic acid in your diet.
- Reduce your weight. Most people with diabetes are obese. Too much of fat decreases the number of insulin receptors present in the body, which also becomes insensitive to insulin.
SOME RECOMMENDED INDIAN HERBS
- Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum) — The medicinal values of fenugreek have been extolled as early as the ancient Egyptian Ebers Papyri. Traditionally it has been used in Arab, Greek and Indian medicines.
Reliable and relatively consistent scientific data is available to substantiate the antidiabetic, blood cholesterol lowering and blood glucose lowering properties of fenugreek seeds.
Fenugreek seeds are rich in carbohydrates (45 %) that are mainly mucilaginous fibers, proteins (20-30 %) high in lysine and tryptophan, lipids (5-10 %) which are fixed oils and other useful trace elements that promotes insulin release from the pancreas. Commission E approves internal use of fenugreek seed for loss of appetite and external use as a poultice for local inflammation. Recommended dose is 6 gms of cut, crushed or powered fenugreek seeds per day. Not recommended during pregnancy and lactation. Diabetic patients taking fenugreek seeds need to know that it may interfere with other medicines being used to control blood sugar.
- Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia) is a popular folk medicine to treat diabetes in Asia and Latin. America. Most of the Ayurvedic preparations for diabetes make use of bitter melon. It is widely sold in India in the powdered form and as capsules, besides being a popular vegetable liked and disliked for its bitter taste. In India there can hardly be a diabetic soul who does not take bitter melon! The juice of the leaves and fruits of the bitter melon creeper is used in a does of one ounce, twice daily, preferably on an empty stomach.
Studies support its effect in lowering blood glucose levels in diabetic conditions. The flavonoids in bitter melon are responsible for the hypoglycemic effects. Studies indicate that bitter melon promotes the glucose use by the liver but does not enhance the insulin levels. It has also been observed to reduce insulin resistance in Type II diabetes.
Bitter melon may interact with other drugs and also produce side effects like headaches and other serious conditions in children.
- Turmeric: Vaids in Ayurveda recommend 1-3 gms of turmeric powder, three times a day along with aloe Vera juice. This is believed to be the best herb and spice mixture for regulating the functions of liver and pancreas.
- Garlic and onion are also good for the diabetic diet. Besides their potential to lower blood sugar, garlic is great for reducing the cholesterol levels.
- Aloe is also a popular remedy for diabetes in the Arabian Peninsula. The pulp extract or the dried sap of the aloe plant is effectively used and it also finds recommendation