Whether you are a type 1, type 2 diabetic or just looking to stay younger for longer, naturally lowering your blood sugar is a vital skill. Fortunately it is also an easy thing to accomplish once you learn a few simple tricks! Remember that we are specifically trying to lower blood glucose. Here in lies the method to our first natural trick.
When you eat carbohydrates, they are not in the form of simple glucose yet. Even simple sugars are composed of glucose and fructose bound together. These carbohydrates cannot enter the bloodstream until they are broken down into single glucose or fructose molecules. So the first method to prevent blood sugar spikes is to interrupt the digestive process of breaking sugars and starches down into glucose.
How do we do this? Well the stomach creates a digestive enzyme called glucosidase. Glucosidase is responsible for breaking your dietary carbs down for quick absorption. If we can inhibit or stop this enzyme breakdown, we can digest all of our nutrients except for the sugars. Inhibiting glucosidase is an extremely powerful technique for keeping blood sugar low, even when consuming delicious amounts of carbohydrate.
Gymnema Sylvestre
It is actually very easy and simple to inhibit glucosidase. There is a plant called gymnema sylvestre that, when consumed, inhibits the glucosidase enzyme in the digestive system. Gymnema has been used to keep diabetics healthy for thousands of years before we had injectable insulin. The best way to take gymnema is via capsules, 20 minutes before you eat carbs and then right when you eat carbs as well. This ensures that glucosidase is inhibited before and long after carb consumption. The awesome thing about gymnema is that it does not only prevent glucose absorption, it also contains powerful antioxidants that protect all the cells of your body against the toxic effects of high blood sugar.
So, with our plant ally gymnema, we put up a wall against the carbs to keep more of them out of our body for longer. Still, the carbohydrates will partially and slowly make there way into your bloodstream. This is when you attack the blood sugar with reinforcements! The most effective way to lower blood sugar at this point is using insulin. However I advise you to keep your insulin levels as low as possible. Insulin is an inflammatory hormone and we need to keep it low if we want to live a long healthy life. So instead of letting your pancreas squirt high amounts of insulin at it, or injecting high doses of insulin, we will once again use medicinal botanicals.
Bitter Melon
Bitter melon is a gourd related to cucumbers. The Chinese have used the bitter melon for thousands of years to naturally lower blood sugar. Bitter melon works in a different way than gymnema. It contains a compound called Plant P Insulin. This can be thought of as a “insulin like compound” and has a blood sugar lowering, insulin mimicking effect when consumed. The great thing is that it is a plant nutrient that is not inflammatory or harmful in the body like human insulin is in larger amounts.
With bitter melon, we want to consume it via capsules with our carb meals. The plant p insulin will be absorbed with the carbohydrates you eat and will immediately begin to shuttle them into your cells to be metabolized. This is extremely effective at keeping blood sugar levels low, naturally.
Warning
If you inject insulin, be very careful when incorporating these natural methods, they will significantly lower your insulin needs! Work with your doctor to lower your insulin dosage! You do not want to go into a hypoglycemic coma!
In Summary
The natural ways are the most trusted and time tested methods for tending to the body. For individuals that struggle managing healthy blood sugar levels, these herbs will contribute to health and longevity if used properly and consistently. First, block sugar absorption with gymnema. Second, whatever sugar makes it through into the bloodstream, blast it with the bitter melon, nature’s version of plant insulin. It won’t stand a chance!
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