For blood sugar control, most diabetic patients will choose to use Western medicine to control blood sugar, which is quick and effective. However, many diabetic patients are worried that long-term use of hypoglycemic drugs will cause damage to their liver and kidney functions. , so I wanted to use traditional Chinese medicine to control blood sugar.
Which is better for controlling blood sugar, Chinese medicine or Western medicine? Can Chinese medicine be used alone to control blood sugar?
Objectively speaking, neither traditional Chinese medicine nor Western medicine can cure diabetes. Both have their own advantages. Western medicine has fast effects and clear effects, but has obvious adverse reactions; although traditional Chinese medicine has a slow onset of action and slightly inferior hypoglycemic effect, it pays more attention to dialectical treatment and overall conditioning, and has obvious advantages in improving subjective symptoms. For example, some diabetic patients have good blood sugar control, but have dry mouth and fatigue. In fact, they have kidney yin deficiency. Traditional Chinese medicine advocates taking drugs that nourish the kidneys, nourish yin, clear away heat and diuresis, which will instead treat the "root cause".
Based on years of clinical experience, the co-director of Guang'anmen Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences found that for pre-diabetes or early-to-mid-stage diabetes, the vast majority of patients can independently use Chinese medicine to control blood sugar, and do not take Chinese medicine decoction every day. When blood sugar levels rise abnormally or fluctuate greatly, take decoction; when blood sugar control is stable, switch to water pills for long-term maintenance. For patients with mid-to-late stage diabetes, it is very difficult to control blood sugar within the normal range. When the pancreatic islet function is significantly reduced or failed, western medicine or insulin injection can be used to control it.
Which Chinese medicines can significantly improve blood sugar?
1. Coptis
Coptis is bitter in taste and cold in nature, and has strong functions of purging fire, detoxifying, clearing away heat and drying dampness. According to modern pharmacological research, berberine has a significant hypoglycemic effect. Compared with the traditional hypoglycemic drug metformin, berberine has a better hypoglycemic effect than metformin.
Berberine, an extract from Coptis chinensis, has a good hypoglycemic effect. Berberine promotes the repair of pancreatic islet D cells. Its hypoglycemic effect is mainly by increasing the glucose consumption of liver cells, and then Inhibits the rise in blood sugar. In addition, Coptis chinensis also has the effect of improving diabetic complications.
2. Astragalus
Astragalus is sweet in taste and slightly warm in nature. It has the functions of replenishing qi and strengthening the surface, diuresis and swelling, and supporting toxins and pus. Modern pharmacological research shows that astragalus polysaccharide has significant Blood sugar lowering effect and blood lipid lowering effect. The mechanism of action may be related to reducing blood levels of antagonistic hormones and increasing tissue glycogen synthesis. Astragalus not only has obvious hypoglycemic effects, but also has a good therapeutic effect on diabetic nephropathy.
3. Pueraria lobata
Pueraria lobata is sweet and pungent in taste. It has the functions of relieving superficial symptoms and reducing fever, promoting fluid production and exuding rash, promoting yang and stopping diarrhea. The flavonoids contained in kudzu root have hypoglycemic effects, which can promote the secretion of pancreatic islet B cells, and the effect is slow and long-lasting. Relevant studies have shown that intravenous infusion can improve blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes.
4. Schisandra chinensis
The A-glucosidase inhibitor extracted from Schisandra chinensis has a good hypoglycemic effect and can significantly reduce the blood sugar of normal and alloxan diabetic patients, and reduce the adrenal gland Hyperglycemia caused by lignans can improve normal glucose tolerance, while lignans can inhibit aldose reductase and are used to treat diabetic complications.
5. Bitter melon
The total saponins of bitter melon can weaken the damage of pancreatic islet B cells or improve the function of damaged cells, thereby alleviating the symptoms of diabetes. Bitter melon can lower blood sugar, but many diabetic patients cannot insist on it, especially those with poor spleen and stomach function. Eating bitter melon will cause stomach upset. Therefore, when using bitter melon to lower blood sugar, it is best to carry out it under the guidance of a doctor based on physical syndrome differentiation, rather than just eating it. For the elderly and diabetic patients with weak spleen and stomach functions, it is not suitable to eat bitter melon for a long time