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Botanicals for Type II Diabetes
More than half of the population of North America suffers from a chronic disease, such as arthritis, allergies, high blood pressure, depression, chronic pain, digestive problems, or diabetes. Conventional pharmaceutical medicine often cannot provide a satisfactory solution or merely manages the symptoms of these diseases while creating uncomfortable and even debilitating side effects. As a result, people are increasingly looking to alternative therapies, such as homeopathic medicine, traditional Asian medicine, and botanical medicine to improve their quality of life.
One major criticism of these alternative therapies is that they are “unproven” and potentially “unsafe.” This criticism is rarely justified. In most cases, evidence does exist in various forms -- clinical trials, case studies, anecdotal evidence, and traditional knowledge. For example, ample trials have been run on specific medicinal herbs to show their efficacy in preventing, treating, and, in some cases, reversing diabetes and the complications of diabetes. Many medicinal herbs have properties not unlike the pharmaceutical drugs used in managing diabetes.
Botanicals for Type II Diabetes
Several herbs have been demonstrated in clinical studies to be effective for treating Type II diabetes and supporting the glands and organs of the endocrine system. For many years, physicians have been successfully using these herbs to reduce insulin levels. In fact, the herb goat’s rue (Galega officinalis) is the original source of the chemical compounds known as biguanides, derivatives of which are still the main type of oral hypoglycemic used today. Herbal treatments as opposed to “mono” drug therapy seem to work in a number of synergistic ways, slowing glucose release into the blood after meals, supporting pancreatic islet cell function, protecting nerve and blood vessel cells from oxidative damage, and improving insulin sensitivity.
Among the most clinically effective herbs for treating Type II diabetes are milk thistle (Silybum marianum), gymnema (Gymnema sylvestre), nopal (Nopal opuntia spp.), jambul (Syzygium jambolana), globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) and devil’s club (Oplopanax horridus). Monographs describing their pharmacology and clinical applications are provided here.
One major criticism of these alternative therapies is that they are “unproven” and potentially “unsafe.” This criticism is rarely justified. In most cases, evidence does exist in various forms -- clinical trials, case studies, anecdotal evidence, and traditional knowledge. For example, ample trials have been run on specific medicinal herbs to show their efficacy in preventing, treating, and, in some cases, reversing diabetes and the complications of diabetes. Many medicinal herbs have properties not unlike the pharmaceutical drugs used in managing diabetes.
Botanicals for Type II Diabetes
Several herbs have been demonstrated in clinical studies to be effective for treating Type II diabetes and supporting the glands and organs of the endocrine system. For many years, physicians have been successfully using these herbs to reduce insulin levels. In fact, the herb goat’s rue (Galega officinalis) is the original source of the chemical compounds known as biguanides, derivatives of which are still the main type of oral hypoglycemic used today. Herbal treatments as opposed to “mono” drug therapy seem to work in a number of synergistic ways, slowing glucose release into the blood after meals, supporting pancreatic islet cell function, protecting nerve and blood vessel cells from oxidative damage, and improving insulin sensitivity. Among the most clinically effective herbs for treating Type II diabetes are milk thistle (Silybum marianum), gymnema (Gymnema sylvestre), nopal (Nopal opuntia spp.), jambul (Syzygium jambolana), globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) and devil’s club (Oplopanax horridus). Monographs describing their pharmacology and clinical applications are provided here.