Emblica Officinalis for cholesterol and glucose...

Loveday8

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examine.com/supplements/emblica-officinalis/research/#interactions-with-glucose-metabolism_insulin-sensitivity

My Medical Herbalist has prescribed this for improving both my high cholesterol and glucose readings - some hopeful research online, apart from the above link....

Fingers crossed!
 

Oldvatr

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There is very little proper research on humans for this extract. It should not be taken if you are already taking medication to thin the blood or platlet therapy or suffer bleeding disorders / bruising/ stroke. It needs to be stopped before any surgical procdure.

The benefits are especially unproven especially in respect to cancer, but it does seem to have a small benefit in lowering blood sugar. Long term use of this supplement is not declared and could be harmful. The mechanism for blood sugar treatment is not known, and not understood so has the potential for harm or overdose.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/indian-gooseberry
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-784/indian-gooseberry
 
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EllieM

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It seems to me that an issue with using herbal supplements to lower blood glucose is that if they work they need safety testing just as diabetic drugs do, and if they don't work there's no point.

(After all, deadly nightshade is naturally occurring, and consuming its berries would certainly have a medical effect...)

Thanks for the links @Oldvatr .
 

Oldvatr

Expert
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8,470
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
It seems to me that an issue with using herbal supplements to lower blood glucose is that if they work they need safety testing just as diabetic drugs do, and if they don't work there's no point.

(After all, deadly nightshade is naturally occurring, and consuming its berries would certainly have a medical effect...)

Thanks for the links @Oldvatr .
Actually the supplement in this discussion did get some safety tests. They fed a large dose to some rats for 3 weeks, and found no significant deterioration. However, this supplement is often 'prescribed' in ayurvedic medicine in doses of between 1 gm and 3 gm per day, and there are reports that this dose raises serum sodium levels and can cause the kidneys to shut down. A high sodium level can also trigger heart arrythmia and is a serious condition that can lead to strokes. So moderation should be the watchword, and ignore the report I found that claims that it is completely safe at any dose.
 

Oldvatr

Expert
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8,470
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
i personally used Gymnema Sylvestre with success, and it seems to be well behaved.
https://nahalsabzsalamat.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/jsfa.6458.pdf

The section on the human application in the Clinical studies section is interesting, and I can confirm that shortly after using this supplement I was officially declared to be in remission. I have subsequently reverted back to my old ways and my last HbA1c was 45. I am soon to use it again now that my Bitter Melon trial is coming to a natural end (no more capsules in the bottle)

The GS suppplement is considered safe to use except those who react badly to milkweed. apparently GS may trigger the same allergy.
 

Oldvatr

Expert
Messages
8,470
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
From what I can see, examine.com is primarily geared up to service the Health and Fitness market, and is aligned to Mens Health (UK). It claims to help build strength and wellness. It is not really a medical archive. It was founded from Toronto University, but I have not found out who actually does the reviewing and there is no info on their acceptance criteria and decision making process.

It is used by the New York Times for their nutrition advice apparently.

Here is some info on the founder of examine.com
https://peoplepill.com/people/sol-orwell
Basically he is a computer engineer / entrepreneur.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/examine-com