Conscious Choice: Ancient Herb for Diabetes Treatment

September 2005

Ancient Herb for Diabetes Treatment

By Len Strazewski

This material is for information only and no part of its content should be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, recommendation or endorsement.

After 1,000 years of use in ethnic medicine, an herbal treatment for diabetes is being taken seriously by medical researchers. It is the latest in a series of new alternatives for the widespread metabolic disease.

Gymnema sylvestre, an herb used in Ayurveda, the traditional Hindi medical system of India, has been available in the United States under several brand names, including Informulab Betafast GXR, Natrol and Pro Beta. In addition, it has been a component of supplement mixes targeted to diabetics.

However, recently completed medical studies indicate that the herb, derived from a climbing plant in central and southern India, promotes glucose metabolism and helps diabetics resist sugar cravings.

That’s good news to the more than 18 million people (6.3 percent of the U.S. population) who had diabetes in 2002, according to the American Diabetes Association’s most recent study. The organization estimates the total direct and indirect cost of the disease and complications is more than $132 billion.

About 10 percent of this group are type 1 or insulin-dependent diabetics who do not produce adequate insulin and must inject the hormone to process glucose in their nutrition. The remainder are type 2 or insulin-resistant diabetics whose bodies do not properly use the insulin produced. Type 2 diabetics are usually treated with diet changes, exercise and oral medications.

Gymnema sylvestre is being tested primarily as a supplement to oral medications for type 2 diabetics.

The first of four clinical studies was conducted under protocols developed by Diabetes in Control, a Deerfield, Ill.-based newsletter for medical professionals and funded by Informulab of Omaha, Neb.

“The herb seems to be effective in about 60 percent of cases,” said Steve Freed, publisher of Diabetes in Control and director of the study. “But it’s no magic bullet. While as a supplement it clearly has some benefit, diabetics still need to focus on reducing carbohydrates in their diet and increasing exercise.”

David Goldberg, president of Informulab, found the results to be strong enough to support funding for three more clinical studies.

The first of these, conducted by Dr. Marc S. Rendell, chief endocrinologist and director of the Creighton Diabetes Center at the Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, is nearing completion.

How It Works

In the Ayurvedic tradition, users place the herb leaves, or an herbal tablet, under the tongue for a minute or two, which neutralizes the ability to taste sweetness. Then the herb is swallowed to help reduce “sweet urine,” a symptom of too much sugar in the blood which passes to the urine

“Gymnema sylvestre has been studied extensively in India and there is actually some evidence to suggest that the herb also helps rejuvenate beta cells that produce insulin for secretion in the body as well as lowering blood sugar,” Goldberg said. “This would actually remedy one of the root causes of diabetes.”

However, proving the efficacy of herbs in the U.S. is difficult. “It is extremely difficult to generate research in the United States that is acceptable to our medical community. Research is expensive and drug companies generally are not interested in funding studies of natural treatments that cannot be patented as drugs,” Goldberg said.

Other Alternative Treatments

Some drug companies, however, are interested in new diabetic treatments derived from natural sources. In April, the Food and Drug Administration in Washington approved Byetta, an injectable drug from Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly & Co. derived from the saliva of the Gila monster lizard.

Approved as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, the drug mimics the effect of a human hormone that prompts the body to produce insulin after eating. The drug may also promote weight loss.

Several other supplements, including chromium picolinate and vanadyl sulfate, have also shown some promise in treatment studies, according to Rendell.

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