Hope for Type 2 Diabetes
Six percent of Americans have diabetes. One-third of those who have the disease are unaware that they are living with it.
Diabetes is a disease that has potentially fatal complications. 90% to 95% of the 15.7 million people with diabetes have the Type 2 variety, caused by obesity, sedentary lifestyles and lack of exercise, and it is reaching epidemic proportions. There are those with elevated blood sugar levels which is a dangerous prelude to full-blown diabetes, known as Type 1. It is an autoimmune disease in which the body does not produce insulin. Those with Type 1 diabetes take daily injections of insulin in order to stay alive. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which the body lacks the ability to make sufficient insulin, or to use it normally.
Diabetes is a “silent killer.” It can cause blindness, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, as well as nerve damage, that can result in amputations. But there is hope:
The Promise of Ginseng: The need for efficaciously treating Type 2 diabetes without any side effects is urgent. Preliminary studies, mostly conducted in Europe, especially Germany, shows positive signs that Asian ginseng’s blood sugar-reducing action in small animals has been known for quite some time. There are more than 400 other plants that have similar capability, some of which are used as diabetes treatments, in a few developing countries where people cannot afford regular, conventional drugs. Presently, the general efficacy of such treatments, is not publicly reported, for the reason that the hypoglycemic activity of none of these herbs are standardized.
The hypoglycemic properties of American ginseng is widely known since l987. when studies were first conducted in mice. Recent clinical studies have yielded positive results in Type 2 patients.
In Canada, at the University of Toronto, two patients were given doses of American ginseng, ranging from 3 to 9 g, at different intervals. The study showed a reduction of glucose blood levels. A minimum of 3 g ginseng, taken anytime, within 2 hours of eating, resulted in the lowering of after- meal sugar in the blood (glycemia) in Type 2 patients, by roughly 20 percent.
Studies are continuing at a rapid pace that might hopefully confirm the true value of American ginseng in preventing or treating Type 2 diabetes.
American ginseng has absolutely no side effects. There is hope that the herb will soon be used for controlling moderate hyperglycemia — a life-saving, welcome news to many patients.
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