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Type 2 What herbs and spices have you found helpful in reducing blood sugar and insulin resistance?

AllieRainbow

Well-Known Member
Messages
207
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I am not on medication (T2), and I am controlling my blood sugar by diet and lifestyle changes. HbA1c of 82 on diagnosis, last HbA1c 42 after 4 months.

I am fine tuning my diet at the moment, with several aims:
  • reducing insulin resistance
  • lowering blood sugar
  • improving the immune system
  • weight loss - get rid of abdominal fat to improve blood sugar control
I have done some limited research, and I take turmeric already, in conjunction with exercise and a high fat very low carb diet of less than 20g carbs per day.

I am looking at what other herbs and spices could be helpful - from my initial reading there seems to be some evidence (not sure what at this stage) that cinnamon can help lower blood sugar, also ginger and garlic.

Has anyone got any experience or evidence of using these or any other herbs/spices/foods to lower blood sugar?
 
Not a herb or spice, but bitter melon has been researched to be beneficial in lowering and suppressing glucose levels.
 
I very much doubt any herb or supplement will lower blood glucose that you would notice compared to avoiding carbs. Even metformin doesn't compare to avoiding carbs.
 
Muneeb said:
Not a herb or spice, but bitter melon has been researched to be beneficial in lowering and suppressing glucose levels.
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Do you have any experience of taking bitter melon to lower blood sugar?
 
NoCrbs4Me said:
I very much doubt any herb or supplement will lower blood glucose that you would notice compared to avoiding carbs. Even metformin doesn't compare to avoiding carbs.
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I am already lowering carbs to less than 20g per day - what I am asking is whether there is evidence that herbs or spices could also improve things.
 
AllieRainbow said:
I am already lowering carbs to less than 20g per day - what I am asking is whether there is evidence that herbs or spices could also improve things.
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Just anecdotal as far as I am aware. I recall that the idea that cinnamon has been proven to be untrue. Just think of all the spices that are in Indian food, yet they have a very high rate of type 2 diabetes. From the interweb:

India is the diabetes capital of the world!

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...capital-of-the-world/articleshow/50753461.cms
 
AllieRainbow said:
Do you have any experience of taking bitter melon to lower blood sugar?
Click to expand...

I eat it quite often, usually with chicken, makes a very nice dish. Although I can't say I've ever tracked if it reduces my glucose levels.
 

That's more likely to do with the amount of flour (chapatti's, naans, bread), rice, potatoes etc. they consume. Not the herbs themselves. They have an abundance of farming land so those foods are widely available.
 
Muneeb said:
That's more likely to do with the amount of flour (chapatti's, naans, bread), rice, potatoes etc. they consume. Not the herbs themselves. They have an abundance of farming land so those foods are widely available.
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My point is that the spices do not seem to mitigate the effects of a high carb diet.
 
I would expect high carb to override any herbs etc. But in the absence of most carbs perhaps herbs would be able to show their own smaller benefits, if they exist.

If it’s something easy to add and helps a little I’d do it, even based on a decent level of anecdotal evidence so long as it caused no harm. Bit like most of us on here have gone low carb despite it not being policy or before it became officially recognised as beneficial (albeit to a much greater extent). I’m sure the adjustments for lchf are greater than adding more garlic to dinner.
 
I read somewhere on this forum that Sri Lankan cinnamon lowers blood sugar, but the most common type called cassia doesn't. There is a long thread on it.
 
I don't know if it has helped but I have turmeric, ginger (and freshly made grated ginger tea), cinnamon and will strategically have apple cider vinegar and freshly squeezed lemon. My HS-CRP (inflammation marker) less than a month ago was < 0.3 so something is working....I don't know what, could also be combination of the aforementioned and clean Keto and exercise.
 
NoCrbs4Me said:
My point is that the spices do not seem to mitigate the effects of a high carb diet.
Click to expand...

As said by HSSS, the carb effect most likely overrides the slight if any beneficial effect of the herbs/spices. If you overload your system with carbs a small amount of herbs wont do much. But if its a low carb diet, some herbs/spices may be able to aid with glucose control.
 
I think that @NoCrbs4Me is right that lowering carbs has a much bigger impact than anything that herbs and spices could do, I was just curious to see if anyone had any anecdotal evidence. The problem with anecdotal evidence in this case is that if the effect is very small, there are too many variables that affect blood sugar, not least of which would be the relative inaccuracy of BG meters in terms of measuring a small effect.
 
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