Healing diabetes with herbal tea is not so unusual because next to water, tea is the most consumed non-alcoholic beverage. Therefore healing diabetes with herbs is fast becoming a popular modern day solution for this ever challenging health condition.
There are three main
types of diabetes. All three types involve the production and
secretion of the hormone known as insulin, produced in the pancreas. Insulin is the essential hormone that
converts glucose into energy. It is responsible for the biological function of
metabolism concerned with energy expenditure in the body.
Type 1 diabetes is where an auto-immune process has destroyed the insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas. Type 2-diabetes is the most common version and develops over time. The body gradually becomes unable to use insulin properly, or doesn’t produce enough insulin. Third is gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy due to hormonal changes, genetics and lifestyle.
People who suffer from diabetes constantly have high blood sugar and cannot produce enough insulin
Diabetes is a critical condition and statistics reveal that over 400 million South Africans are affected and thousands go undiagnosed. [1] Further, it is estimated that another 5 million South Africans have pre-diabetes. This is when blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as type-2-diabetes. Of greater concern is the alarming statistics in the development of the chronic complications of diabetes. Kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes, lower leg amputations and blindness are some of the symptoms of this devastating disease. [2]
Diabetes is a slow-onset condition and early detection is of paramount importance
Healing diabetes involves the recognition of the onset of the disease and to determine the best mode of treatment. This disease is generally believed to be incurable; and the pharmaceutical drugs available are not affordable to the poor. There are several means of managing and treating diabetes, however, natural remedies are proving more effective. This is because unlike synthetic drugs and oral medications healing diabetes with herbs does not cause undesirable side effects.
Extreme eating and
lazy lifestyles are the main accomplices to the development of diabetes. Of
course some people are genetically pre-disposed but this disease is
predominantly preventable. And it is possible to still have a healthy quality
of life by healing diabetes with herbal teas.
People have become
urbanized and no longer care for healthy food but instead invest in processed
takeaways. It is known that high sugar diets can lead to obesity and diabetes
and we are seeing this everywhere today. To truly cure diabetes we must first
control the corporate marketing of unhealthy foods in our own minds. Then we must put in place
proper health systems that provide standard preventative and curative care for affected
individuals.
Healing diabetes with herbs will provide new therapies with less side-effects
Safe curative
treatments for diabetes are yet to be developed although traditional healers
still practice herbalism for the treatment of diabetes. People diagnosed with
diabetes need the best possible treatment available and this includes patient
education. As diabetes continues to increase, so does the need to create
awareness and strategize how to reduce the risk of diabetes.
The world’s diabetic
population is diverse and we need herbal healing for individual treatment
plans. When the pancreas starts showing signs that it can no longer produce enough
insulin we must immediately start considering herbal remedies. By healing
diabetes with herbal remedies we can access safer, cheaper and more effective
treatments.
Healing diabetes with herbs will not interfere with synthetic drugs like insulin
Herbs can be used as an anti-diabetic remedy alone, but can also be used safely with other drugs like insulin. In fact most anti-diabetic herbs will also alleviate the awful side-effects of some diabetic drugs. Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, anxiety, swelling and headaches are some examples. Likewise the resurgence of herbal medicines has led to increasing concerns over their safety, quality and efficacy. This is an important medical development because it led to human clinical trials and published research papers that prove the safety of herbal medicine.
Which plants can be used to heal diabetes?
In nature we are
blessed with at least 389 medicinal herbs that have been identified and proven
to treat diabetes. [3] However, it has been reported that more than 1200
traditional plants may have been used traditionally to treat blood sugar. [4]
These plants are recognized to contain valuable medical properties to treat
both high and low blood sugar. There is even a plant named “the insulin plant”
that originates from India. [5] As custodians of herbal healing traditional
healers may hold the key to unlock many diabetic complications.
In this article we will
analyze the top three herbs used for traditional healing of diabetes in South
Africa. Let’s start with the national flower of the country.
South African’s enjoy
1700 species of Protea plants but most people feel that all Protea flowers are
equally our national flower! Protea Sugarbush or “Suikerbossie” as it is
known in South Africa occurs mainly around Cape Town where the fynbos biome
grows.
The Sugarbush has been exploited for centuries for the nectar produced by the flowers. This abundantly produced nectar was collected in the past to be boiled into sugary syrup, so-called bossiestroop, meaning ‘bush syrup’. This traditional medicine was used to treat chest conditions and as a component of cough mixtures. It was also used traditionally to treat diabetes. This remedy became an essential component of folk medicine chests in the Cape. The First Nations of the Cape of Good Hope taught their colonialists the secrets of the honey-pot of the Protea plant. [6]
The Khoi-Khoi people teach traditional healers to heal
diabetes by making a tea from the leaves of the Sugarbush plant. This is how we
still do it today, although many healers now use capsules to administer the
crushed leaves. Besides anti-diabetic properties this plant also has wound
healing and blood cleansing properties that also aid in the healing of
diabetes.
Sutherlandia is another Western Cape medicinal plant traditionally used to treat diabetes. This plant has been shown to have anti-diabetic properties in animal studies. [8] This study investigated Sutherlandia in preventing insulin resistance in human liver cell cultures and to identify genes regulated by this plant
We must understand that insulin resistance is a precursor to type-2-diabetes and is considered a serious condition
The results prove that healing diabetes with herbs can prevent
insulin resistance in liver cells.
This study also revealed that Sutherlandia can alter human gene expression and points towards the mechanisms of the plants’ anti-diabetic actions. Healing diabetes by drinking ‘kankerbossie’ tea has been helping people overcome their condition for thousands of years. [9] Diabetics who use the leaves as tea report a drop in blood glucose levels and Sutherlandia has no signs of toxicity or side-effects. [10]
Aptly nicknamed ‘The
Cancer Bush’ this herb displays anticancer activities and this supports the
claims of South African Traditional Healers. The reason why Sutherlandia cures
cancer is because it possesses apoptotic properties, meaning it can destroy any
mutant cells. [11] Another reason is that Sutherlandia is loaded with
antioxidants that are known to destroy free-radicals that cause cancer. People
should be competing to use herbs to rid their bodies of free-radicals to beat
cellular-oxidation and cancer.
Chemicals like
terpenes, terpenoids and flavonoids have been identified as being responsible
for the health benefits of Sutherlandia. Terpenes are the chemicals that give
plants their fragrance but they also have their own unique healing abilities.
These chemicals play role in the bioactivity of Sutherlandia and the
anti-diabetic and anticancer properties of this plant are well established.
[12] It’s amazing to know that we can literally heal diabetes and cancer by
simply sipping on some tea!
P3 Cannabis sativa (dagga)
How does Cannabis
control our blood sugar?
Dagga is already a household name for healing hundreds of medical conditions and diabetes is no exception. In fact Cannabis is now known for healing 700 known medical conditions.
Here is the link as a reference of this fact and you will notice how many auto-immune conditions are on this list. These type of diseases only really started surfacing in society after CBD (Cannabidiol) was removed from the worlds food-chain in the 1930's. In my opinion this was the very reason for the sudden appearance of an overwhelming count of cancers and auto-immune conditions. This is proof of Endocannabinoid deficiency and people need Cannabis to supplement the ECS.
It is becoming more and more obvious that our hormones play a crucial role in the way our bodies uptake and regulate energy. The importance of this is that Cannabis and the ECS regulate the functions of our hormone system. Cannabis regulates blood sugar levels, by controlling the secretion and release of hormones like insulin and Melanin Concentrating Hormone (MCH). Scientists now know that MCH plays a role in the growth of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas, and the secretion of insulin. When MCH induces appetite it also increases insulin secretion from the beta cells and enhances the growth of the beta cells.
Melatonin is the hormone usually associated with our sleep waking patterns. Research proves that it also has a specific function in the control of insulin secretion from the islets of the pancreas. [13] This proves that melatonin has a distinct and detailed effect on insulin secretion. This is based on the biological fact that the pancreatic beta cells all have melatonin receptors. It is well known that sleep disorders and shift-working, are closely associated with reduced glucose tolerance and type 2-diabetes. [14]
Twenty years ago scientists had no idea of the functional importance of hormones like melatonin. Through the study of the ECS we realize that many hormones act on diverse physiological processes in the body. [15]
Pancreatic cancer is
the toughest to treat
Cancer of the pancreas is known to be one of the hardest to cure because early detection is almost impossible. This cancer is vicious and kills over 90% of its victims within five years. Researchers at Harvard University state that Cannabis killed all the tumor cells in 70% of mice with pancreatic cancer. These scientists were so surprised at the results that they had to run additional tests for confirmation. They published their research in the Journal Frontiers on Oncology in 2019.
Their findings are
attributed to particular chemicals within Cannabis known as flavonoids and in
particular Caflanone (FBL-03G). The American FDA has approved Caflanone ‘orphan
drug’ status meaning that it can cure previously incurable diseases. This
flavonoid successfully destroyed tumor progression in animals with pancreatic
cancer and research is ongoing at Harvard Medical School. This proves that
flavonoids are also involved in the apoptotic functions of the anticancer
properties of Cannabis.
Jamaican ‘Black Swan’
is an ideal dagga strain to treat pancreatic cancer
Doctors and scientists are starting to realize that Cannabis medicine is so much more than just THC and CBD. Terpenes and flavonoids within Cannabis all have their own special healing properties over and above the cannabinoids.
Dr. Henry Lowe is chairman of the pharmaceutical drug company known as Flavocure and he has studied Cannabis since 1974. He discovered a unique strain in Jamaica named ‘Black Swan’ because of its rich flavonoid content, particularly Caflanone. The company has isolated this strain specifically for their research in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. The most amazing fact about this treatment is that there are no side-effects, which is unheard of in pharmaceutical human trials. [16]
What do these three plants have in common to heal diabetes?
At the time of writing this paper (2021) there was not one single scientific paper referencing Sugarbush having anti-diabetic properties, not one! The search was relentless and eventually ii found a scientific link revealing the chemical responsible for anti-diabetic properties in many medicinal plants.
This chemical is the terpene scientifically known as Linalool. As mentioned before terpenes are the chemicals within plants that are responsible for the aroma, fragrance and taste of plants and their fruits. Terpenes also have healing properties that contribute to the medicinal value of many herbs including Cannabis. Linalool is found in many plants like lavender, and is also the terpene responsible for sweet-tasting strawberries!
“Linalool can comprise up to 66% of the Proteas fruity scents.” [17]
Equally exciting is that modern scientists are finally acknowledging the anti-diabetic properties of plants and their chemical components. Linalool is now scientifically proven as an effective plant derived anti-diabetic treatment. [19] These revelations bring joy to traditional healers who lack the resources to scientifically publish their own valuable disciplines of medicinal knowledge. Molecules like Linalool will surely lead to a terpene boom in the future because of their ancient healing properties.
Can we afford to not
heal diabetes with herbs?
Healing diabetes by using plants has been part of folk medicine and traditional healing systems forever. If no proof prevailed to the healing abilities of herbs then they would not be studied for their potent hypoglycaemic effects. Herbal intervention is completely natural and is woven into the cultural fabric of indigenous peoples. Modern medicine is losing its worth in terms of being effective and people are becoming more interested in herbs and self-medicating.
Natural medicine is
needed because it provides health maintenance and is nurturing as plants are...
Healing diabetes by serving herbal teas is the best preventative primary care that we can offer to our communities. In SA herbs are used by different healers, such as herbalists, diviners, Inyanga;s Rastafarians, alternative and allopathic healers, and even ordinary people. This creates unique situations where traditional knowledge and science meet in the mountains to provide insight into healing herbs. [20]
The good news is that by healing diabetes with herbs we stand an excellent chance of reducing numbers with the least cost to physical and mental side-effects. We must become conscious that we can heal ourselves from almost any known disease by taking responsibility for what we consume. Diabetes is a worldwide health crisis because of poor nutrition and it should be on the forefront of every country’s agenda.
Citations for “Healing diabetes with herbal
tea”
[1] (Daniel Asmelash and Yemane Asmelash 28 April 2019) “The Burden of Undiagnosed Diabetes Mellitus in Adult African Population: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Diabetes Research Volume 2019 Article ID 4134937 https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/4134937
[2] (Thylefors B. 1990) “The WHO program for the prevention of blindness.” International Journal of Ophthal. Volume 14 page 211.
[3] (Padavala Ajay
Babu et al 13 April 2006) “A database of 389 medicinal plants
for diabetes”. Journal Bio-information Volume 1 Issue 4 pages 130-131 PMCID:
PMC 1891668 PMID: 17597872 http://www.progenebio.in/DMP/listz.htm
[4] (R.J. Marles and N.R. Farnsworth 1995) “Anti-diabetic Plants” Journal Phytomedicine Volume 2 Issue 2 pages 137-189 https://www.academia.edu/marles
[5] (Akhila J Shetty et al April 2010) “Effect of the insulin plant (Costus igneus) leaves on dexamethasone-induced hyperglycemia”. International Journal of Ayurveda Research Volume 1 Issue 2 pages 100-102 PMCID: PMC2924971 PMID: 20814523
[6] (Ian Edwin Cock, October 2018) “Medicinal Plant images” Giffith University Pharmacognosy Communications Volume 8 Issue 4 page 170 Figure 1: “Protea is a genus of flowering plants from South Africa that are commonly referred to as sugarbushes. Protea repens is perhaps best known for its medicinal properties, although other species are also used in similar ways. The flower nectar is boiled to produce a syrup. This syrup is used to treat chest disorders, and as a component of cough mixtures. It also has been used traditionally to treat diabetes.” https://www.researchgate.net
[7] Sutherlandia frutescens (l.) r.br. (syn. Lessertia frutescens (L.) Goldblatt and J.C. Manning)
[8] (S. Williams et
al, 27 March 2013) “Sutherlandia frutescens prevents changes in
diabetes-related gene expression in a fructose-induced insulin resistant cell
model.” Journal of Ethonopharmacology Volume 146 Issue 2 pages 482-489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2013.01.008Get rights and
content
[9] (Oluwaseyi M et al, 1 February 2014) “The Meeting of Science and Traditional Knowledge” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Volume 20 Issue 2 page 71 PMCID: PMC3924790 PMID: 23837689
[10] (B.E. Van Wyk, October 2011) “The potential of South African Plants in the development of new medicinal products.” South African Journal of Botany Volume 77 Issue 4 pages 812-829 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2011.08.011
[11] (Kenneth Anye Chinkwo,
8 April 2005) “Sutherlandia frutescens extracts can induce apoptosis in
cultured carcinoma cells.” Journal Ethnopharmacol Volume 8 Issue 98 pages
163-70. PMID: 15763378 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
[12] (Stander A, Marais S, Stivaktas V, et al 2009) “ In vitro effects of Sutherlandia frutescens on cell numbers, morphology, cell cycle progression and cell death in a tumorigenic and a non-tumorigenic epithelial breast cell line.” Journal Ethnopharmacol 2009; Volume 124 Issue 45–60 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
[13] (Maria Cecilia Picinato et al October 2002) “Melatonin Inhibits Insulin Secretion and Decreases PKA Levels Without Interfering With Glucose Metabolism in Rat Pancreatic Islets”. Journal Pineal Res Volume 33 Issue 3 pages 156-60 PMID 12220330
[14] (Elma Peschke et al March 2013) “Melatonin and Pancreatic Islets: Interrelationships between Melatonin, Insulin and Glucagen”. International Journal of Molecular Science Volume 14 Issue 4 pages 6981-7015 PMCID PMC3645673 PMID 23535335.
[15] (Dr Ethan B Russo, 2004) “Clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CECD): can this concept explain therapeutic benefits of cannabis in migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and other treatment-resistant conditions?” Neuro Endocrinol Letters February 2004
[16] Medical Cannabis
Network 14 January 2020 “Black Swan: rare Jamaican cannabis strain could treat
pancreatic cancer.” https://healtheuropa.eu
[17] (Sandy-Lynn Steenhuisen et al March 2013) “Effects of volatile compounds emitted by Protea species (Proteacae) on antennal electrophyusiological responses and attraction of cetoniine beetles.” Journal Chem Ecol.
[18] (B.E. Van Wyk, October 2011) “The potential of South African Plants in the development of new medicinal products.” South African Journal of Botany Volume 77 Issue 4 pages 812-829 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2011.08.011
[19] (Tanaji A More et al, 2014) “Anti-diabetic activity of linalool and limonene in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat: a combinatorial therapy approach”. Int Jnl Pharm Pharm Sci Volume 6 Issue 8 pages 159-63
[20] (Aston Philander L. 18 November 2011) “An ethnobotany of Western Cape Rasta bush medicine”. Journal Ethnopharmacol Volume 138 Issue 2 pages 578-94
No comments:
Post a Comment