These Herbs for Diabetes Lower High Blood Sugar and Improve Insulin Resistance Naturally
One of them works as well as the diabetes drug metformin!
Managing type 2 diabetes typically involves eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and taking medications such as metformin if necessary to keep your blood sugar levels balanced. But if you’re struggling to control your diabetes despite these strategies, adding herbs could be the answer. In fact, Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, notes that certain herbs can control diabetes so effectively that taking them can reduce or eliminate the need for medications. Keep reading to see what our experts recommend to reduce your blood sugar levels and keep insulin levels balanced.
The 4 best herbs for diabetes
First, an important note: Check with your doctor before adding a new supplement to your daily regimen, especially if you’re concerned about side effects or interactions with any medications you’re taking. That said, these herbs have a powerful ability to help steady your blood sugar levels, especially for people with type 2 diabetes. Here, four top picks:
1. Berberine reduces insulin resistance
“Berberine is something I recommend nearly every day of the week,” notes Fred Pescatore, MD. Derived from herbs such as European barberry, goldenseal and Oregon grape, berberine prods cells in the pancreas to increase insulin secretion, which is especially important for those with diabetes.
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But that’s not all: Experts reporting in the International Journal of Endocrinology note that the herbal compound also reduces insulin resistance, blocks excess sugar production in the liver and boosts the ability of muscle cells to burn glucose so it doesn’t build up in the blood.
No wonder a study in the journal Metabolism found that taking 1,500 mg of berberine daily for three months reduced participants’ blood sugar as effectively as the same amount of the diabetes drug metformin.
Recommended dose: Dr. Pescatore and Dr. Teitelbaum both recommend taking the study-backed dose of 500 mg, three times daily. But that amount of berberine can trigger stomach upset in some people, Dr. Teitelbaum cautions. If you turn out to be one of them, he advises dropping down to 200 mg, two to three times per day.
2. Hintonia latiflora slows sugar breakdown
The bark of Hintonia latiflora, a shrub that grows in the Sonoran Desert, has been used for medicinal purposes in Mexico for centuries. Now, modern research reveals that herbal extracts made from the bark are especially beneficial for people with diabetes.
“I start all of my patients with diabetes on hintonia latiflora,” Dr. Teitelbaum says. “One of the things that makes it so powerful is its dual action. It not only slows the breakdown and absorption of sugar in the gut, but it also contains a polyphenol that has been shown to reduce insulin resistance and inflammation.”
And in a EuropeanJournal of Medical Research study, patients with mild-to-moderate diabetes who took a daily supplement containing the extract experienced reductions in fasting glucose, post-meal glucose and HbA1c within six months.
Recommended dose: “Hintonia latiflora is available in the United States as Sucontral D, and the dosing is one tablet (each containing 100 mg of the bark extract) twice daily,” Dr. Teitelbaum notes. “Helpfully, it also contains plenty of B12 to protect the nerves.” That’s especially key for patients on metformin, since the drug can produce nerve-damaging B12 deficiency.
3. Curcumin tames inflammation
You may have heard about curcumin’s natural pain-relieving powers, but the herb also has impressive anti-diabetic effects. “Curcumin is the key active component of turmeric. It powerfully decreases excessive inflammation and helps pain, while also increasing insulin sensitivity and production,” Dr. Teitelbaum explains.
Indeed, a study in Nutrition Journal found that compounds called curcuminoids in curcumin can improve the function of pancreatic beta cells.
Recommended dose: Subjects in the study who took 500 mg of curcumin, three times daily, significantly improved their HbA1c and blood glucose levels in one year. “But by using highly-absorbed forms of curcumin, one can get the same effect from 250 to 500 mg a day,” Dr. Teitelbaum says. Just look for terms such as “superior absorption” or “high absorption” on supplement labels.
4. Cinnamon blunts blood sugar spikes
The cinnamon that’s probably in your kitchen right now contains a compound called cinnamaldehyde that combats insulin resistance, according to a study in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine. Dr. Pescatore adds that cinnamon also lowers blood sugar spikes by slowing the rate at which carbohydrates are broken down during digestion, making a powerful herb for diabetes.
Recommended dose: An International Journal of Preventive Medicine study showed that taking 3 grams of cinnamon capsules daily lowered participants’ fasting blood glucose and HbA1c within eight weeks.
But can you benefit from sprinkling cinnamon into foods like oatmeal, yogurt, coffee or tea? “Absolutely!” says Dr. Pescatore. In fact, a study in Diabetes Care found that when type 2 diabetes patients added 1 gram of ground cinnamon (about ½ tsp.) to their daily diets for 40 days, their fasting blood glucose dropped by an average of 25 percent.
Just be sure to opt for Ceylon cinnamon (a.k.a. true cinnamon) rather than its cassia cousin when possible. While studies show both types help manage diabetes, cassia contains a compound called coumarin that can be toxic to the liver.
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