Ancient Ayurvedic herbs for prevention of diabetes, a modern American epidemic

According to the Journal of Health & Longevity, it is estimated that by the end of 2010, almost 40% of Americans over 65 will have type 2 diabetes. Eating vegetarian can help in preventing diabetes ^[1] (or even cure it in some cases). But there is one way of preventing diabetes that has been around for thousands of years, Ayurveda. If you are interested in preventing diabetes and balancing your blood sugar levels, this could be very helpful.

First a little background on diabetes: In type 1 Diabetes, your insulin level is too low to carry glucose (sugar) to your cells. In type 2 Diabetes, there’s too much glucose or sugar in the blood, and there is plenty of insulin, but the cells won’t let the glucose in. So the glucose builds up in the blood but your cells are starved for fuel. This can eventually ruin your health.

Initially, the biggest problem is either that you can become hypo-glycemic (low blood sugar), which is hard on the heart; or as the pancreas secrets emergency amounts of insulin in high quantities, high blood pressure results. Eventually, your pancreas can give out, or other problems can occur such as heart problems, stroke, kidney failure and even blindness. AND—the single largest risk factor for diabetes is being overweight.

This is what happened to my mother’s companion. This man was in his 80’s and never exercised, and was overweight. He also ate a lot of meat and processed foods. He suffered a mild heart attack and underwent surgery. Afterwards, his health was not as strong and he began experiencing kidney problems and later on kidney failure. He had to undergo dialysis, a 5-hour ordeal, three times a week. The dialysis left him too weak to want to do anything for days. After a few years of that, he finally could no longer cope with it and died of kidney failure.

So what can you do to prevent this from happening to you or those you know? You may already be on a meatless diet but eliminating processed foods, especially refined sugar is essential for keeping glucose under control.

What can you do if you already have diabetic symptoms? Ayurvedic medicine has been practiced for several thousand years in India and they use medicinal herbs for just about every kind of illness.

There are several Ayurvedic herbs which are excellent for balancing blood sugar without any side effects. Here are just a few:

1. Bitter Melon – improves glucose tolerance without increasing insulin, reduces sugar cravings; stimulates the pancreas beta cells to make insulin
2. P. Marsupium – reverses damage to pancreas beta cells; eliminates insulin resistance; lowers cholesterol
3. Curcumin (tumeric) – protects the body from free radicals; improves cardiovascular health; cleanses metabolic waste; diminishes need for insulin
4. Fenugreek – delays glucose absorption and lowers blood sugar levels; improves insulin response; lowers cholesterol
5. Holy Basil – strengthens the immunes system, normalizes blood sugar levels and blood fats; lowers blood pressure, cholesterol, and inflammation

These are a few of the herbs used in Ayurvedic medicine for preventing diabetes ^[2]. Using herbs to create better health is something everyone can do to lower the cost of health care and live longer healthier lives.

Related Posts

^[3]Naturopathic Diet Controls Diabetes and Asthma ^[3]

^[4]Can Vegan Diet Improve Diabetes? ^[4]