Another case of home remedies that are still to be found. New research suggests that traditional Indian diabetes herb treatments lower blood sugar and insulin levels than today’s prescription medications.
With promising results, 39 healthy adults were given extracts from the herb Salacia Oblonga. Blood glucose and insulin levels were reduced by an average of 29 percent and 23 percent, respectively. The largest amount of herb extract received by the subjects (1,000 mg) led to these reductions.
Steve Hertzler, co-author of the study and assistant professor of nutrition at Ohio State University, said that these reductions are comparable to those we might see with prescribed oral diabetes medications.
Salacia oblonga, a herb that is native to Sri Lanka and India, is known as Salacia oblonga. Researchers discovered that the herb can bind to intestinal enzymes which convert carbohydrates into glucose. The herb can bind to these enzymes before they can convert carbs into glucose. This means that less glucose sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream. This is why less insulin is needed.
Hertzler stated that lowering blood glucose levels reduces the chance of developing diabetes-related complications. Poor compliance with diabetes medication can also hinder their effectiveness. It might be easier to convince someone to take a herb in a drink or with food than to give them a pill.
The study was done on healthy adults. However, the researchers are also interested in studying the effects of Salacia oblonga herbs on diabetic patients.
Hertzler added that “a lot of studies have shown that lowering blood sugar levels can reduce the risk of all types of diabetes-related complications such as kidney disease, nerve damage, and eye damage.” This herb could have this effect, we want to find out.
Side effects of the herb included an intestinal gas reaction. For two days, researchers measured the hydrogen and methane levels of participants’ breaths after each test. Participants also rated how severe or frequent they felt nausea, cramps, and gas.
Although the research will continue, the herb is not easily available in the United States. Some online suppliers do exist.
The study was performed by Ohio State University (OSU) and supported by Ross Products Division at Abbott Laboratories in Columbus. It was reported in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, and on the OSU website at http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/saloblo.htm where the study researchers can be contacted and the full news release can be found.
It is possible that a seemingly obscure herb may have similar medicinal properties to some of the most researched diabetes medications. Imagine what other home remedies are out there waiting to be discovered.
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