Originally published May 4 2011
Japanese Sweet Potato may Cure Diabetes Along with Coffee and Ginkgo
by Melanie Grimes
(NaturalNews) A white sweet potato extract from the Ipomoea batatas plant may cure diabetes, adding to other recent research showing blood sugar reducing benefits from coffee, the gingko tree, and nuts. Diabetes is at epidemic proportions but traditional medicine has used plants to treat this condition worldwide.
Sweet Potato Diabetes Research
Researchers are now studying the Ipomoea batatas plant, a traditional sweet potato remedy from the mountains of Japan. The white sweet potato has been used for centuries in Japan to treat high blood pressure, anemia and diabetes. The raw potatoes come from the Kagawa region of Japan, a mountainous region between Osaka and Hiroshima.
Recent research with the sweet potato extract has shown promise in stabilizing blood sugar in type 2 diabetes. A study in Austria and Italy enlisted 60 participants who consumed 4 g of an extract of the white sweet potato, called caiapo. After three months, many reported reduced blood sugar of 15 points.
When participants consumed 2 grams of the extract, their results were not curative, but those on the 4 gram a day diet showed at least a 13 percent reduction in fasting blood sugar, as well as a 30 percent drop in cholesterol and a 13 percent drop in LDL cholesterol.
The caiapo extract seems to have an effect by decreasing insulin resistance; however, further tests are needed to confirm these findings. Sweet potatoes join the ranks of other foods thought to help reduce insulin resistance and prevent the onset of diabetes, such as coffee and nuts.
Coffee Reduces Risk of Diabetes
The coffee research showed that one cup of coffee reduced diabetes risk by seven percent. These findings, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, collected data from numerous studies that totaled over a half million participants.
Nuts Lower Blood Sugar
Nuts have been shown to lower blood sugar by slowing the digestion of carbohydrates, according to the American Diabetes Association. Nuts also contain important nutrients such as magnesium, as well as fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, which also benefit a diabetic diet.
Ginkgo Biloba Herb Treats Diabetes
The herb Ginkgo biloba has long been used in Japan and China as a treatment for high blood sugar. The tree is one of the oldest known in the world and contains a powerful antioxidant. A ginkgo tree withstood the nuclear blast in Hiroshima during World War Two. Ginkgo has been used to treat diabetic retinopathy because it helps increase blood flow to the eyes and also the limbs.
http://www.naturalnews.com/028033_coffee_dia...
http://www.naturalnews.com/028681_diabetes_h...
http://www.naturalnews.com/027896_diabetes_g...
http://www.yourhealthbase.com/database/a123a...
http://www.prevention.com/health/nutrition/f...
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abs...
About the author
Melanie Grimes is a writer, award-winning screenwriter, medical journal editor, and adjunct faculty member at Bastyr University. She also teaches homeopathy at the Seattle School of Homeopathy and the American Homeopathic Medical College.
A trained homeopath, she is the editor of the homeopathic journal, Simillimum, and has edited alternative and integrative medical journals for 15 years. She has taught creative writing, founded the first Birkenstock store in the USA and authored medical textbooks.
Her ebook on Natural Remedies for the Flu is available at:
http://melanie-grimes.blogspot.com/2009/04/b...
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