Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles. Type 1 diabetes, mostly shows up in childhood or early teens often after an illness, virus or injury. The symptoms of type 2 diabetes are often not obvious and you may think they are due to aging or obesity.

Bitter melon improves the body's
ability to use blood sugar

Aside from diabetes, the many other causes of high blood sugar include just eating more sugar (or food) than usual, the presence of an infection or another illness, an injury and the stress of surgery. High blood sugar may produce few or no symptoms. When there are symptoms, they may be dry mouth, thirst, frequent urination, urination during the night, blurry vision, fatigue or drowsiness, weight loss, or increased appetite.

Herbs Used for Diabetes

Alfalfa * Bitter Melon * Burdock * Carob * Cinnamon * Comfrey * Dandelion * Eucalyptus * Fenugreek * Gurmar * Jambul * Juniper * Lady's Mantle * Mallow, Marsh * Milk Thistle * Noni * Stevia * White Kidney Bean *

Alfalfa For: Diabetes
Profile	The condition of people with diabetes who fail to respond to insulin greatly improves when they take alfalfa plus manganese. Phyllis A. Balch, Prescription for Herbal Healing (2002)

Almond flour For: Diabetes, Heartburn
Profile	Almonds have a special dietetic value, for besides containing about 20 per cent of proteids, they contain practically no starch, and are therefore often made into flour for cakes and biscuits for patients suffering from diabetes. Maud Grieve, Modern Herbal Vol 1 (1931)

Bitter Melon For: Lower Blood Sugar
Profile	Several clinical trials have shown that bitter melon extract and juice lower blood sugar in people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. One of the phytochemicals, charantin is said to be more potent than tolbutamide, and has fewer side effects. If you can find the melons at an Asian market try eating one small one each day James Duke, The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook (2000)

Bitter Melon For: Diabetes
Profile	It contains several phytochemicals that appear to act in ways similar to sulfonyurea drugs, without the side effects. Bitter melon also contains compounds that are close chemical relatives of insulin. However, bitter melon should not be used in place of mainstream therapies Linda B. White, M.D., The Herbal Drugstore (2003)

Bitter Melon For: Diabetes
Profile	Bitter melon has been used to treat diabetes, cancer, viral infections, and immune disorders. Data suggest that a significant hypoglycemic effect occurs in both healthy and diabetic patients. However, bitter melon should not be used in place of mainstream therapies. In vitro and animal studies indicate antiviral activity against HIV and herpes, cytotoxic effects against leukemic cells, and cytostatic effects in breast cancer, but related human studies have not been conducted. . Bitter Melon. (), Sloan-Kettering

Burdock For: Blood Sugar, Bacteria
Profile	Fresh burdock roots contain phytochemcials called polyacetylenes, which destroy certain bacteria and fungi - in one study an extract reduced blood sugar in rats James Duke, The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook (2000)

Burdock For: Diabetes
Profile	Research has shown that the seeds can lower blood sugar in rats. In France, the fresh root is also used for lowering blood sugar, its inulin content making it particularly suitable for diabetes. ar-lowering effects in animal tests. One of the ways burdock works is by filling the intestines with fiber, which prevents the absorption of sugars and of toxic compounds from food. Fresh burdock roots are using in Asian cooking, and tinctures and extracts made from burdock roots are the most common form of herbal therapy. Richard Mabey, The New Age Herbalist (1988)

Burdock extract For: Blood sugar and diabetes
Profile	Burdock seeds are a valuable supplemental food for people with diabetes. An extract made from burdock has shown prolonged blood-sugar-lowering effects in animal tests. It works by filling the intestines with fiber, which prevents the absorption of sugars. Burdock fibers also prevent the absorption of toxic compounds from food. These fibers are digested in the intestine with the help of bacteria, but only after they have passed into the large intestine. Since absorption of most substances in the digestive tract occurs in the small intestine, this makes it less likely that toxic compounds will enter the body. Burdock's chromium content also helps regulate blood-sugar levels. Phyllis A. Balch, Prescription for Herbal Healing (2002)

Cinnamon For: Regulate insulin
Profile	Research shows that cinnamon can aid in regulating the activity of insulin, cinnamon does not stimulate the release of insulin, but it helps insulin work more effectively.

Coffee and Tea For: Type 2 diabetes
Profile	A new study published by American Medical Association shows a strong relationship between drinking coffee and tea and the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. People who drink 3 to 4 cups of coffee a day were found to have a 25 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who drank zero to two cups a day. On average, people's risk decreased by 7 percent with each additional cup of coffee they drank a day. There is good news for tea drinkers as well, those drinking three to four cups daily were found to having an 18 percent lower risk than those who drank none. No firm conclusions could be drawn as to why coffee and tea had a protective effect, though they both contain antioxidants, and other beneficial compounds that be be of benefit. Huxley R, Man Ying Lee C, Barzi F, et al.. Coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and tea consumption in relation to incident type 2 diabetes mellitus.. (12-2009), Archives of Internal Medicine. 2009; 169: 2053-2063

Comfrey cream For: Diabetic sores
Profile	Comfrey's astringent tannins form a protective surface over wounds that promotes healing.You may want to try comfrey or allantoin skin creams for diabetic sores.

Dandelion For: Diabetes
Profile	Dandelion root has been used in European herbal medicine for centuries to treat diabetes. In the spring, dandelion root contains levulose, a sugar easily assimilated by diabetics. By fall, this sugar has changed to inulin, a starch also easily assimilated by diabetics. Weiss, Gaea and Shandor, The Healing Herbs (1985)

Fenugreek For: Diabetes
Profile	In both laboratory studies on animals and clinical research involving people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, fenugreek has significantly lowered blood sugar, thanks to some six different phytochemical compounds. James Duke, The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook (2000)

Garlic For: Diabetes
Profile	Garlic can lower blood-sugar levels in people with diabetes. It ties up chemical receptors that otherwise would deactivate insulin, the hormone that controls sugar usage, and also stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin. It does this without stimulating weight gain, a common side effect of many diabetes medications. Phyllis A. Balch, Prescription for Herbal Healing (2002)

Gymnema For: Diabetes
Profile	The plant holds it true medicinal value for those who shouldn't be consuming sugar in the first place. It might be one of the best herbal therapies for people with diabetes. James Duke, The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook (2000)

Jambul For: Blood sugar and diabetes
Profile	Practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine report that jambul fruit pulp lowers blood-sugar levels in approximately thirty minutes, while jambul seed lowers blood-sugar levels in about twenty-four hours. The maximum hypoglycemic effect of the herb requires ten days of treatment. Phyllis A. Balch, Prescription for Herbal Healing (2002)

Jambul For: Blood Sugar and Diabetes
Profile	This Ayurvedic herb has long been used to reduce the level of sugar in the blood and urine. Over a period of several weeks it can diminish the thirst associated with diabetes and decrease the quantity of urine output, and in some cases can lower the need for medical insulin. Also is a mild astringent, stomachic and pungent carminative. Ed Smith. Single Herb Extracts. (2006), Therapeutic Herb Manual

Lady's Mantle tea For: Diabetes
Profile	Lady's mantle tea has also been used to treat heavy menstruation, menstrual cramps, and disagreeable symptoms of menopause. Some modern herbalists recommend lady's mantle as a treatment for diabetes, it may help prevent circulatory problems in diabetics. Mountain Rose Herbs. . (), Moutain Rose Herbs

Mallow For: Gastrointestinal tract, Blood sugar
Profile	Most of the therapeutic ability comes from the large concentration of mucilage and pectin. Pectin is a soluble fiber that keeps the gastrointestinal system running smoothly and helps tame blood sugar. James Duke, The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook (2000)

Stevia For: Diabetes, lower blood sugar
Profile	In a small study conducted on stevioside, the active component of stevia, markedly lowered blood sugar levels in 16 healthy adults, suggesting a possible therapeutic use for diabetes James Duke, The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook (2000)

White Kidney bean For: Hypoglycemia, insulin resistance
Profile	In addition to lowering cholesterol, kidney beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia

Diabetes Information