Here, I share my personal experience with Ayurveda and how it helped me with my diabetes. I’ll also mention some Ayurvedic remedies for diabetes.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in the year 2015, approximately 1.6 million deaths were caused by diabetes alone. Moreover, 2.2 million deaths were due to high blood glucose levels in 2012.1
Since childhood, I was the one who would give up video games for a handful of sweets. It was always easy for my elder siblings and parents to lure me into something just by offering sweets.
When I grew up, everything changed. But the love of sweets did not.
Midnight sweet cravings and walking up to refrigerator for ice creams and chocolates were frequent habits. This sweet garden, however, turned barren for me soon.
I never liked visiting the doctor but I was so sick that I had to. After a physical examination, I was diagnosed with diabetes.
He further added that I probably had it for years. What nearly brought me to tears was his words about sweets. He asked me to abstain from the intake of sweets. Like all people with diabetes, my life was to be ruled by the clock.
For instance, starting the day with meals, insulin injections, blood tests and taking rest. Everything was on a strict regime.
Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body is unable to make any or enough insulin. As a result, it leads to an excess of sugar in the blood known as glycosuria (sugar in urine) and hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).
Excessive amounts of glucose in the blood lead to a variety of complications, especially for the nerves, heart, eyes, kidneys and blood vessels.
There are different types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, pre-diabetes, gestational (pregnancy) diabetes, and other types.
Symptoms of Diabetes
If you’d like to learn how Ayurveda can help with conditions like diabetes and more, check out Todd Caldecott’s course below.
Annoyed from allopathic medicines, Ayurvedic treatment proved to be a healing and gentler experience for me. Ever so often, you may come across patients with diabetes seeking Ayurvedic treatment and advice.
Why so? Well, because Ayurveda is said to be a natural healer. This traditional treatment uses nature’s healing gifts to cure, heal, and prevent diseases from recurring in the body. Some of those used in the Ayurvedic management of diabetes are mentioned below.
Amla is one of the most potent herbs in Ayurveda. Enriched with vitamin C, the antioxidant property of amla makes it beneficial for diabetic individuals.
Amla contains chromium, a mineral that regulates carbohydrate metabolism. Chromium makes the body respond to insulin, which further helps to keep blood sugar at healthy levels.
Besides, amla also contains minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron that assist in the absorption of insulin leading to a drop in blood sugar in diabetics.
Usage: I took a glass of Amla juice twice a day which helped me lower my high blood sugar. If you want, you can also have the fruit in its raw form. Do check with your doctor or health care provider before consuming supplements.
A natural immunity booster and digestive aid, triphala is one of the best Ayurvedic herbal remedies.
It is a powdered formula containing haritaki, amla, and bibhitaki. Triphala is known to cure diseases and disorders that are incurable as per some medicinal treatments.
It also contains powerful antioxidants used to encourage healthier cardiovascular and respiratory functions. Most often, triphala is especially effective in combating Type 2 diabetes.
Usage: A glass of triphala juice or 2 Tbsp of its powder every day is very effective. Do check with your doctor or health care provider before consuming supplements.
Cinnamon powder or raw cinnamon helps lower blood sugar and fight diabetes. It imitates the effects of insulin and increases glucose transport into cells. Apart from this, the cinnamon powder also slows the emptying of your stomach.
As a result, it reduces sharp boosts in blood sugar following meals and improves the potency and sensitivity of insulin.
Usage: Add 3-4 Tbsp of cinnamon powder to water.
Heat this over a low flame for approximately 20 minutes. Strain the mixture and let it cool. Drink it every day for better results. Do check with your doctor or health care provider before consuming supplements.
Love it or hate it, bitter gourd is an excellent and frequently used diabetic remedy. Additionally, bitter gourd can help you shed a few pounds, combat acne and inhibit the absorption of glucose.
If you simply cannot gulp down a shot of karela juice, try incorporating it into a yummy stir-fry recipe instead.
Also keep in mind that according to Ayurveda, bitter gourd’s benefits are more effective when consumed raw. According to a study, the blood-glucose-lowering activity of karela has been reported in several animal models.
Usage: One glass per day. Do check with your doctor or health care provider before consuming supplements.
Jamun (Indian blackberry or jambul) is the foremost anti-diabetic food in Ayurvedic medicine. Besides its rich antioxidant properties, this fruit’s seeds contain alkaloid jambosine and glycoside jamboline. These elements slow down the diastatic transformation of starch into sugar. As a result, there is a reduction in blood sugar.
Usage: Jamun seeds powder (1 tsp) twice a day along with lukewarm water. Do check with your doctor or health care provider before consuming supplements.
One NCBI study demonstrates that consumption of bay leaves for 30 days reduces the risk factors for diabetes.
Both bay leaves and aloe vera are highly enriched with vitamins, magnesium, calcium, manganese, potassium, and iron. The hypoglycemic effect of bay leaves is associated with the presence of essential oils and phytochemicals, which enhance glucose and insulin metabolism, therefore lowering blood sugar.
Usage: Prepare a mixture of ground bay leaf (1/2 Tbsp), aloe vera gel (1 Tbsp) and turmeric (1/2 Tbsp). Consume this mixture twice a day before lunch and dinner. Following
this strictly will help to control sugar in the blood. Do check with your doctor or health care provider before consuming supplements.
Bitter in taste, this vine plant is very effective in the treatment of diabetes. Its high-nutrient, low-calorie composition makes it an amazing anti-diabetic food source. It can also decrease the effects of the condition if it already exists. It is an ideal food to help keep weight in check, and yet also provides proper nutrition to people with diabetes.
Usage: Consumed twice a day, snake gourd is highly effective in lowering blood sugar level. Do check with your doctor or health care provider before consuming supplements.
Another important Ayurvedic remedy for diabetes is fenugreek or methi seeds. These seeds contain fiber that helps slow digestion and the body’s absorption of carbohydrates and sugar.
They possess hypoglycemic properties that help reduce blood glucose levels significantly. Also, methi helps enhance how the body uses sugar and boosts the amount of insulin released.
Usage: Methi seeds can be consumed in various forms. The most effective of all is soaking 3 Tbsp of the seeds in 200 ml water overnight. Crush them in the morning and strain. Drink this daily for 3 months. Do check with your doctor or health care provider before consuming supplements.
For me, these Ayurvedic treatments worked like magic. Even with these treatments, you still have to follow a strict regime.
So if you don’t want to live a life without sweetness, switch on a healthy diet. And always remember, it’s never too late to start.
Please consult a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner before trying the diabetes remedies mentioned in this article. Check with your primary healthcare provider as well.
References
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