An imbalance of blood sugar in the body, the cause is a lack of insulin or lack of use of insulin, is called diabetes. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose reach the cells in your body to provide it with energy. Type 1 diabetes is when your body doesn’t make any insulin, whereas type 2 diabetes, it doesn’t make the insulin well enough. Type 2 diabetes is more common. Without adequate levels of insulin, the glucose remains in blood instead of contributing to the energy in the cells.
If this isn’t taken care of in its earlier stages, too much glucose in the bloodstream can cause serious issues. It can lead to blindness, damage the kidneys and nerves, along with causing heart disease, strokes, and gestational diabetes in pregnant women. It is absolutely essential to keep a watch on your blood sugar levels on a regular basis and tweak your diet and exercise accordingly.
Along with prescribed medication and appropriate exercise, using natural treatment for diabetes can further aid in managing blood sugar levels. Many common herbs have the natural ability to lower blood sugar, and there have been several studies that have found a potential link between herbal therapies and blood sugar control. While herbal medicine for diabetes isn’t a cure for the problem, it helps manage the glucose levels without any side effects, when used along with the proper prescribed treatment.
These are some of the suggested Ayurvedic supplements that have shown promise as natural treatments for diabetes:
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is extremely popular in Chinese medicine. It’s used as a tonic for the stomach, for headaches, for diarrhoea, back pains, and to promote blood circulation. It is beneficial for a diabetic patient because it helps lower blood sugar levels. You can add a pinch of cinnamon to soups to gain benefits of both, the cinnamon and the soup.
Vitamin B-1
Also known as thiamine, it is found that many diabetics have a deficiency of this vitamin. Low levels of thiamine have been linked to heart disease. It helps prevent diabetic complications. A better alternative to thiamine is benfotiamine, which is lipid-soluble, and thus is able to penetrate cell membranes better than thiamine.
Green tea
Rich with antioxidants, green tea is known to help with many health issues, such as lowering the risk of getting cardiovascular diseases, and also with weight loss. This trend has caught up with the entire world, and there is no reason to leave it out of this article. Polyphenols, an antioxidant found in green tea, may also help with the prevention of type 2 diabetes, along with improved glucose control and better insulin activity.
Resveratrol
This chemical is found in wine and grapes and helps prevent high blood sugar. Regular consumption of resveratrol in the form of wine or grapes can also reduce oxidative stress.
Magnesium
Not only does magnesium regulate blood pressure and increase insulin sensitivity, but it also has shown to reduce the risk of diabetes as it is found that it lowers rates of insulin resistance.
Jamuns
Abundant with antioxidants, the seeds of Jamun contain jamboline, a chemical that slows down the diastatic conversion of starch into sugar. Adding fruits and uncooked vegetables to your diet can help immensely in reducing the negative effects of diabetes.
Bitter gourd (karela)
This much-abhorred vegetable has a bad social reputation for having an awful taste. But its benefits are much more than one could count. It fights pimple breakouts, helps reduce weight, and inhibits the absorption of glucose, which actually kills diabetes. Bitter gourd is most effective when it is eaten raw, but there are many recipes that can be used to make sure you can include karelas in your diet without making a face when you eat it.
Fenugreek (methi seeds)
As a natural treatment for diabetes, methi seeds possess hypoglycemic qualities that reduce blood sugar levels. Daily consumption of about 10gms of fenugreek is recommended.
Turmeric
It’s difficult to leave out this particular herb when you’re listing herbal medicines for diabetes, or for most other health problems. It helps in curing a cold and cough, fight acne, and is even proven to be effective in preventing type 2 diabetes.
Lifestyle improvements
Ensuring that you consume food that is beneficial for you to reap many benefits. Avoiding rice, potatoes, sweets, maida, and deep-fried foods not only reduce the risks that diabetes poses, but also helps maintain an overall better health. Foods rich in fibre helps the body in absorbing the sugar slowly, which keeps the blood sugar levels balanced.
Regardless of whether you want to use natural treatment as a supplement for controlling diabetes, or stick to the prescribed medications, daily exercise reduces the severity of the disease for long-term complications.
Read this blog on the 5 ways by which you can prevent diabetes
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Author of the Blog: Dr. Archana Singh
Expert Review By: Dr Smita Pankaj Naram
Co-Founder, Ayushakti Ayurved Pvt Ltd