Funny...look what just turned up in my email from ProHealth...
Herbal Rescue for High Blood Sugar
By Terry Lemerond*
If you've ever wondered why we're seeing such an epidemic of diabetes and prediabetes, all you have to do is look at our diets. In a very short time, we have dramatically increased our consumption of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and refined carbohydrates, like white flour and white rice.
The Sugar and Insulin Connection
Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas. It picks up sugars in the bloodstream and carries them into the cells for energy. The more starch you eat, the more insulin your body needs to produce. High-sugar and high-carbohydrate diets put a huge burden on your insulin production. There is simply too much sugar for insulin to process, and increasingly higher levels of sugar remain in the bloodstream.
There's another complication. Because high-sugar and refined carbohydrate foods cause inflammation, the body's own natural inflammatory reaction can impair the ability of insulin to do its job, so cells become starved for energy. If cells start to ignore insulin (called "insulin resistance"), they do not respond to insulin's signals to accept sugar into the cell for energy production. Starved too long, cells start to die. Ironic, isn't it, that a disease we associate with overeating actually causes starvation at the cellular level?
But high blood sugar and diabetes is not inevitable. Despite the statistics, you can stabilize and reverse your high blood sugar levels with diet, exercise, and an amazing herbal extract. This remarkable botanical for blood sugar control has been clinically shown to treat mild and moderate type 2 diabetes. It is a traditionally used plant found in Mexico and Central America called Hintonia latiflora.
Hintonia latiflora - Herbal Rescue for High Blood Sugar
Known as "copalchi" and sold in many marketplaces in Mexico and Central America, Hintonia latiflora is a tree that grows in the desert, where it has to withstand an intense climate. Toughing out monsoon-like rainy seasons and scorching dry spells has created a powerful defense mechanism within the plant itself. Much in the same way that concentrations of anthocyanins (protective compounds found in berries) increase after a plant is stressed, the beneficial features of Hintonia are made all the stronger by its ability to survive and thrive in a difficult environment. While Hintonia has been traditionally recommended for diabetes and gastrointestinal complaints, it has shown some exciting clinical results as well.
Impressive Clinical Results
Hintonia latiflora has been clinically studied in Europe for over 60 years in type 2 diabetes and shows impressive results. Early clinical work with the herb found that it was equal to or better than insulin in mild to moderate cases of diabetes. In later work, patients using insulin and taking Hintonia latiflora were able to dispense with using insulin altogether, or switch from insulin to glibenclamide, a common drug that boosts the level of insulin produced by the pancreas. Ideally, nobody would have to be on a prescription drug, but over the years, studies of Hintonia latiflora have shown that it can either replace medications or at the very least, make them much more effective.
Clinical Results Have Shown... Hintonia latiflora combined with key nutrients for blood sugar control can:
- Lower A1C levels by 10 percent
- Improve fasting and postprandial blood sugar by 23% and 24%, respectively
- Balance total cholesterol and reduce triglyceride levels
- Prevent hypoglycemia - undesirable drops in blood sugar
- Reduce medication use (39% of patients reduced medication - some didn't need it at all!)
Why Does Hintonia Work?
Plants and plant extracts are complex, and the reasons behind their benefits can be a challenge to unlock. However, scientists have been working diligently to discover the keys to Hintonia latiflora's success. Hintonia bark contains compounds that help keep blood sugar levels stable. Clinical work with the ingredient has shown that it was so effective that individuals could reduce or entirely dispense with their insulin medication in type 2 diabetes. Hintonia is also an inhibitor of alpha-glucosidase, an enzyme that releases sugar from foods, particularly carbohydrates. And coutareagenin, a polyphenol found in the bark extracts, appears to be responsible for other blood sugar-controlling benefits. For the best results, look for an extract standardized for this compound.
Hintonia is able to slow sugar metabolism, delaying the release of sugar in the bloodstream and keeping glucose levels down, rather than allowing them to spike as often seen in cases of type 2 diabetes.
Aside from that, research on Hintonia shows that compounds from its leaves may help stop gastrointestinal damage and gastric ulcers. Considering the harsh effects of some drugs used for type 2 diabetes on the digestive system, this is yet another reason to consider adding Hintonia latiflora to a diabetes-fighting regimen.
What You Can Do
I would encourage those with blood sugar issues to consider adopting a low-carb paleo diet or a ketogenic diet. These diets provide sufficient daily fats and proteins - but very few carbs - which means the body's energy comes from using body fat and fats from the diet. These fats provide ketones, which are used for energy rather than glucose. When you essentially "train" your body to stop using glucose as its primary source of energy, you help break the addiction to sugars and carbs and reduce your risk of diabetes.
Additionally, I would strongly urge you to add a clinically studied Hintonia latiflora to your daily regimen. The form I recommend is combined with trace amounts of B vitamins, folic acid, chromium, zinc, and vitamins C and E. These ingredients help protect against oxidative damage to blood vessels, stop nerve damage, and keep metabolism functioning well.
