Firstly, Methi or Fenugreek is used in various Indian curries, and has many health benefits. When it comes to type 2 diabetes, clinical trials have shown that this herb reduces the rate at which your body absorbs sugar from your stomach during digestion, and fenugreek also seems to stimulate your pancreatic cells to increase insulin production. Both of these actions are due to an amino acid present in fenugreek called 4-hydroxyisoleucine.
Next, bitter gourd is healthy, albeit unpalatable; vegetable that is typically cooked in tangy gravy to offset the bitterness. According to several studies, bitter gourd’s extracts reduces the activity of the alpha glycosidase enzyme which is responsible for your typical bout of hyperglycemia after a meal. While we’re on the bitter side of things, bitter melon contains a phytonutrient called charantin, and this helps glucose to move from your blood and into your muscles, adipose (fat) tissue and liver, which lowers your blood glucose levels.
Gurmar is a climbing shrub, the leaves of which are traditionally believed to be capable of destroying sugar, due to the saponins and gymnemic acids that they contain. Some studies have suggested that gurmar appears to increase the amount of insulin secreted by the pancreas. Also, If you chew on a few gurmar leaves, you can reduce your ability to sense the sweetness of foods, which may play a role in suppressing your appetite. This is important in diabetes control, as weight loss is often a crucial role in getting your risks for other complications down. You can boil gurmar leaves to make tea, or else the extract is commercially available as tablets and capsules.