Earlier this month, I told you about a new report on how we can gain control of the growing Type II diabetes epidemic in this country.
But the report, presented to Congress, focused on ALL THE WRONG THINGS…like adding a federal tax to soft drink sales.
And it most certainly didn’t mention the many natural solutions to Type II diabetes…such as a compound found in “Oregon grape” and other medicinal plants that starts working wonders in just SEVEN days!
Allow me to reveal to you more about this marvelous compound—and how it works in the body…
Natural blood sugar control
Berberine is a bright yellow compound found in many plants and herbs, including barberry, goldenseal, and “Oregon grape.” (In fact, Native Americans and European colonists who came to the Pacific Northwest used “Oregon grape,” a medicinal herb, as a “blood tonic,” antimicrobial, laxative, and stomach tonic.)
And now, modern science shows that berberine, which is found in ALL these plants, can help reduce high blood sugar. In fact, in one impressive study, published in the journal Metabolism, berberine went to work in just SEVEN days.
The study had two research legs…
In the first leg, researchers randomly divided 36 adults with Type II diabetes into two groups. The first group took 1.5 grams of berberine for three months. The second group took the Type II diabetes drug metformin.
After three months, HbA1c levels in the berberine group dropped from an average of 9.5 to 7.5 percent.
(HbA1c is the long-term measure of blood sugar control. The target HbA1c level for people with diabetes is usually less than 7.0 or 7.5 percent! Meaning these participants achieved an impressive level of blood sugar control…without ever using drugs! They also experienced reductions in fasting blood sugar and triglycerides [blood fats], too.)
These results were similar to the group that took metformin. (Except when you take berberine, it doesn’t cause you to develop a vitamin B12 deficiency, as metformin can.)
The second leg of the study revealed even more impressive results…
For this part, 48 adults with “poorly controlled” Type II diabetes took 1.5 grams of berberine for three months.
This time, the researchers noted significant reductions in both fasting blood sugar and postprandial blood sugar (blood sugar up to four hours after eating a meal) within just SEVEN days!
Specifically, fasting blood sugar went from 172.8 to 140.4 mg/dL. And postprandial blood sugar went from 226.4 to 210.6 mg/dL.
Then, in the second week, their blood sugar levels reached their lowest—and HELD STEADY throughout the rest of the study. (Fasting blood sugar reached 135 mg/dL and postprandial blood sugar reached 189 mg/dL.)
Plus, by the end of the three-month study period, the participants’ HbA1c levels fell to 7.3 percent, which, again, is well within the target range for someone with Type II diabetes.
Plant compound works in four important ways
Berberine works to help control blood sugar in four important ways:
First, like many botanical remedies, berberine goes to work right away in your gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome by reducing “bad” probiotic bacteria and promoting “good” probiotic bacteria.
(More and more research suggests that most diseases, including Type II diabetes, start in your gut. In fact, metformin, the first-line prescription for Type II diabetes drug, helps balance your microbiome, like berberine.)
Berberine also helps regulate bowel movements. For example, if your movements are sluggish, berberine can help the intestines contract, keeping the contents moving. Overall, by keeping these movements regular, it helps flush out toxins.
Third, berberine pushes glucose (sugar) from the blood into your tissues. This mechanism directly lowers blood sugar.
Last but not least, it reduces inflammation, a hidden culprit behind most chronic diseases— including (it is thought) diabetes.
Ask your doctor about your options
In the end, I encourage anyone and everyone with blood sugar concerns or Type II diabetes to ask their doctor about the possible benefits of adding berberine to their regimen.
Most people can safely tolerate 500 mg of berberine daily to start. (You may experience some mild GI upset in the beginning. But that’s normal…it can also often occur when you start metformin.)
You can also help manage Type II diabetes—and maintain healthy blood sugar levels—by making simple modifications to your lifestyle. (Like cutting all the ultra-processed foods in your diet, which are the real culprits when it comes to Type II diabetes and other chronic diseases. Choose healthy, balanced options instead.)
In fact, there are DOZENS of natural botanicals, in addition to berberine, that can help you prevent—and even reverse—Type II diabetes. You can obtain all the details about these uncommonly effective, commonsense strategies in my online learning protocol, my Protocol for Defeating Diabetes. To learn more, or to enroll today, click here now.
Sources:
“Effects of Berberine on the Gastrointestinal Microbiota.” Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2021;10:588517. doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2020.588517
“Efficacy of berberine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.” Metabolism. 2008 May;57(5):712-7. doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2008.01.013. PMID: 18442638; PMCID: PMC2410097.
“Berberine for Diabetes Mellitus Type 2.” Tahoma Clinic, 2010. (tahomaclinic.com/Research/PDFs/Berberine_for_Diabetes.pdf)