The body metabolizes glucose to produce the energy it needs to function. There are several ways you can use herbs to improve glucose metabolism. As both the liver and pancreas are involved in glucose metabolism, herbal tonics benefiting either of those organs could improve glucose metabolism. Or you can try a class of herbs called adaptogens that normalize many important functions of the body, including glucose metabolism. Certain herbs are indicated specifically for people with diabetes, a disorder involving blood sugar metabolism.
Adaptogens
A 2010 report in the "Journal for Nurse Practitioners" discusses a class of herbs known as adaptogens that, among other functions, help normalize glucose metabolism. Among the adaptogenic herbs cited in this report are ashwaganda, codonoposis, ginseng, holy basil, licorice and schizandra.
Liver Support
Dietary glucose from carbohydrate sources is stored in the liver as glycogen and then converted back to glucose when blood sugar levels are low. The liver also produces glucose from non-carbohydrate sources, mainly amino acids and glycerol from fatty acids. Herbs that tone and strengthen the liver so it may better perform these functions are called hepatics and include barberry, black root, blue flag, dandelion, fringe tree bark, golden seal, mountain grape, wahoo and wild yam.
Pancreas Support
The pancreas plays a pivotal role in glucose metabolism, producing the two hormones that control how the body handles glucose in the bloodstream, insulin and glucagon. When blood sugar rises, the pancreas releases insulin to instruct the liver to lower glucose production. When blood sugar lowers, the pancreas releases glucagon to give the opposite instruction. Huckleberry is one herb that helps promote insulin production while ginseng is said to reduce blood glucose levels. Herbs that have a general tonic effect on the pancreas include cinnamon, fenugreek and gymnema sylvestre.
Minerals
Chromium is a particularly important chemical element in helping the pancreas maintain stable blood glucose levels. According to Mark Pedersen's "Nutritional Herbology," chromium can be found in many herbs, including catnip, gymnema, hibiscus flower, horsetail, licorice, nettle, oat straw, red clover, sarsaparilla, wild yam and yarrow. Magnesium is also heavily involved in glucose metabolism and can be found in Irish moss, kelp, licorice, nettle, oat straw and tumeric, says Pedersen,
Anti-Diabetics
Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine disorder caused by insufficient production of insulin to process the glucose in the blood. In diabetic individuals, blood glucose levels are high but that glucose does not get properly metabolized by the tissue cells of the body. In "The New Holistic Herbal," author and herbalist David Hoffman suggests garlic, ginseng and nettle as a few of the herbs that can most effectively help ameliorate this problem. The "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" adds buchu, dandelion and uva ursi to the list. A 2003 review of research on herbs used to control glycemic levels in diabetics found positive preliminary results from aloe vera, gymnema sylvestre, momordica charantia, nopal and vanadium, although the paper's authors found evidence on American ginseng and Coccinia indica for these purposes was the most thorough and scientifically sound.
References
- "Journal For Nurse Practitioners"; Using Herbal Remedies To Maintain Optimal Weight; Mary Koithan, et al.; Feb 2010
- "Nutritional Herbology: A Reference Guide to Herbs"; Mark Pedersen; 1998
- "The New Holistic Herbal"; David Hoffman; 1996
- "Prescription for Nutritional Healing"; James F. Balch, et al.; 1990
- "Diabetes Care"; Systematic Review Of Herbs And Dietary Supplements For Glycemic Control In Diabetes. G.Y. Yeh, et al.; April 2003
