With all of the nutrition information available today about how to lower your blood sugar, it can be a bit daunting to know which information is correct and which is not. It is so important to look to what science-based evidence and research says about the subject. But even more, we need this science to be translated into easy to understand advice so that we can actually incorporate it into our lives and benefit from it. This is the most important factor.
If you are someone who has struggled with the roller coaster of blood sugar management, I have some good news! Research shows that there are common herbs and spices, likely ones that you already have in your kitchen, that have some potential positive effects on improving blood sugar. Today, I’m breaking down some of the superstar herbs and spices that data has indicated may help with blood sugar management.
Oregano and Sage: One group of researchers tested a variety of herbs and spices for a specific antioxidant activity that help to prevent an increase in hemoglobin A1C, a protein maker in the blood that is affected by blood sugar levels. They found that two of the herbs with the highest antioxidant levels were oregano and sage (1)…can you say Italian food?
- Use these herbs in their fresh or dried form to add flavor to everything from chicken and fish to soup and roasted veggies.
- Since oregano and sage are both considered Italian herbs, I love adding them to marinara or ground turkey if I’m making some to go along with spaghetti squash.
- This Pumpkin Spice Pork Tenderloin recipe is also a favorite and another great way to incorporate sage.
Garlic: Potent, but effective. Garlic is known as one of the oldest medicines in the world…and with good reason. An animal study that administered high doses of raw garlic to rats for 4 weeks found that it had a profound effect of reducing blood glucose levels, as well as cholesterol and triglycerides compared to rats who did not receive raw garlic (2). They also tested rats with boiled garlic, and saw no changes in blood glucose, so the benefit comes from raw garlic.
- Try adding it to salad dressings or blended salsas to get the benefit.
Turmeric: Several studies have shown that turmeric has several benefits in lowering blood sugar. It “turns off” several blood sugar-raising pathways and helps to improve insulin resistance (3).
- This root can be used freshly chopped or grated into recipes, or used in its powdered form for soups, curries, stews, and even smoothies!
Ginger: Animal studies in rats with diabetes have shown raw ginger to have blood-sugar lowering benefits and other diabetes-related complications such as proteinuria after 7 weeks of daily treatment. Therefore, ginger may pose beneficial properties for diabetes-related high blood sugar (4).
- Just like turmeric, ginger can be used fresh from the root, or in its powdered form.
Cinnamon: Several studies have shown cinnamon’s ability to lower fasting blood sugar and reduce blood sugar levels after a meal. It has also shown promise in its ability to maintain a lower A1C level over time (5).
- Sprinkle this spice on anything your heart desires. It would be beneficial to pair it with higher carbohydrate foods you enjoy, such as oatmeal or sweet potatoes.
It is important to note that these herbs and spices are intended to support blood sugar maintenance and are not meant to replace diabetes/hyperglycemic medications. Research does show benefits to incorporating these herbs and spices, so enjoy incorporating them daily into your favorite recipes for a boost of flavor and and to help lower your blood sugar.
And if you are looking for more easy recipes & a jump-start to controlling your blood sugar with food, be sure to download my FREE 7 day diabetes meal plan by clicking HERE.
References
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Rebecca P. Dearlove, Phillip Greenspan, Diane K. Hartle, Ruthann B. Swanson, and James L. Hargrove. Journal of Medicinal Food. July 2008, 11(2): 275-281. doi:10.1089/jmf.2007.536.
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G Horbani Z., Hekmatdoost A., Mirmiran P.Anti-Hyperglycemic and Insulin Sensitizer Effects of Turmeric and Its Principle Constituent Curcumin.International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism.2014 vol: 12 (4)
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Thomson M., Al-Qattan K., Bordia T., Ali M. Including garlic in the diet may help lower blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides.The Journal of nutrition. 2006 vol: 136 (3 Suppl) pp: 800S-802S
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Al-Amin, Z., Thomson, M., Al-Qattan, K., Peltonen-Shalaby, R., & Ali, M. (2006). Anti-diabetic and hypolipidaemic properties of ginger (zingiber officinale) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The British Journal of Nutrition, 96(4), 660-6. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1079/BJN20061849
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Kirkham, S., Akilen, R., Sharma, S. and Tsiami, A. (2009), The potential of cinnamon to reduce blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 11: 1100–1113. doi:10.1111/j.1463-1326.2009.01094.x
I need help to low my A1c blood sugar. With herbs .can send list of them and how much I need take for 52 year old female. Thank you.
Thanks for the help. I’m an alchemist hell bent on helping someone with some really bad diabetes. I’ve also heard that ginsing and ginko may also help. Is this at all true?
Exolus~ fellow Alchemist here. Not sure if this will reach you…
Ceylon Cinnamon specifically, bitter melon, Gynestemma, American Ginseng, turmeric, and I would include an adaptogen or two to balance. Off the top of my head, but I know there’s more. My Mom is diabetic and has probably middle stage Alzheimers (a Type 3 diabetes, theres more than 2 types) so there are some others I include like: lions name, resveratrol, reishi mushroom and raw cacao, CoQ10, and fish oil. Heperzine and Bacopa are excellent too. There’s a great product I used to use on Amazon called Axion or Axon? I have access to a lot of different quality herbs, so I just build my own basically, but this product is great with no junk or fillers. I research a lot and had a list of herbs I needed to get and stumbled across this product. I know you were specifically asking about diabetes, but there is a direct connection between diabetes and a parallel with cognitive impairment disorders etc so you need to also support the brain, heart, and watch cholesterol. Exercise is a must. So much to say… You can reach out to misskrisscarson at gmail dot com.
Best on your path!
Kriss
It is proved that any synthetic medicine may not give permanent remidyfor blood suger enhancement.So we need not only remidy by hearbs but also hearbs may give natural immunity against all such health problems. So all science forum should give more and more attention on this research.
The things we eat are directly related to our health and quality of life. Thank you for this post, it was helpful! Blood sugar can be lowered with a number of combinations of herbs and essential oils.
Hi Jane! Just want to encourage you on the path of regaining your husband’s perfect health. It is definitely possible. If you scroll up you can gleen info from the message I left Exolus. Specific to your husband, the first advice I would suggest are making lifestyle changes to lose weight. Diabetes and HPB are diseases under a larger category called metabolic disorders. Losing weight is one area that is useful in getting our metabolism back on track, a long with combatting inflammation for which turmeric is excellent. Exercise lowers both! For overall health I suggest a whole food colorful diet, with as little packaged and processed as they are inflammation causing and contributes to both diabetes and HBP. Cooking with aromatics like onions, garlic, ginger; herbs and spices. (Youre on the right track, just be confident and experient~ you’ll hit your stride and will find out what works best for your family) Before I forget… make sure you are using a good quality turmeric (not the stuff in the supermarket) and use with a dash of black pepper which helps the absorption of the turmeric and a good quality CEYLON cinnamon which is not the same as cassia cinnamon in the market which is toxic at high doses and doesn’t have the same blood sugar lowering properties. Half his body weight in water DAILY (hard to do, but this alone can lower both numbers). Avoid or moderate alcohol~ best choice is red wine! In my opinion VitD is essential!!! Not sure where you’re located, but here in the US, around 80% of us are VitD deficient (especially in the northern hemisphere) and that causes a myriad of health consequences. Get his levels checked and supplement if his levels are below 30-40 (higher the better). Natural sun is better, doctors don’t talk about the therapeutic benefits of radiant heat. I can talk to you more about safe sun bathing (and forest bathing for that matter), if you’d like. Or you can supplement with a quality D2 (not D3). Interestly, new research studies have come out suggesting pharmaceuticals that are called anti-whatever (anti-hypertensives, anti-diabetes, etc) are shown to greatly increase the likelihood of developing alzheimers in the future. So, congrats on taking control of your family’s health. You can do it!!!
Blessings in your path!
Kriss
One need to use vitamin D3 not D2. D3 (also known as cholecalciferol) is the same as the vitamin D that is produced by the body following exposure to UVB rays. D2 is a synthetic version called ergocalciferol which is considered inferior to D3. I take vitamin D3 (as advised by my doctor) along with turmeric, ceylon cinnamon, dextrin or psyllium to help deal with my type 2 diabetes. Now looking into Berberine (research shows it help lower blood sugar and cholesterol). Significant decrease in my A1C result….I went from 12.7 to 6.9 in 4 months. I expect my A1C result to lower a bit more. It also helps to eat balanced meal (see a diabetic specialist as they are extremely helpful in what to eat)
It is not as bad as one thinks and it can be managed!
My husband has prediabetis and high blood pressure what can I use turanac, sage ( which he hates) and I use garlic, cinnamon . Oraganio . How do I use all these in my cooking?
Hi Jane! It looks like my reply didnt get to you. Please see my reply above. Be well!
Kriss