As the incidence of Type 2 Diabetes continues to rise, so have the number of new natural products aimed at helping diabetics and people with insulin resistance maintain better glycemic control. Several of these products are showing real promise in the management of these difficult conditions.

HPB 84: Taming Glucose, Building β-Cells

A few years ago, Ron Brooks was like many Type 2 Diabetics—on several medications and getting worse. The retired oilman was already talking Actose and Glucophage, and his doctor was urging him to go on insulin. But several friends told Mr. Brooks that they’d been able to control their glucose with a combination of 7 herbs they obtained from an Indian physician. Some of these people were actually able to discontinue their medications.

Intrigued, Mr. Brooks went with his friends to India, where he met a doctor who gave him the raw herb combination, which was to be chewed, much like chewing tobacco, for one hour each day. Within a few weeks, Mr. Brooks’ blood glucose was within control range, and to his pleasant surprise, he also lost some weight. He was able to stop his medication, and maintained normal glucose levels so long as he continued using the herbs.

Convinced that this combination could help a lot of people, but that most people would not be willing to chew exotic herbs, Mr. Brooks decided to develop a tablet form of the Ayurvedic combination. The result is a formula called HPB 84, recently brought to market by Health Excellence through Exploration (HEE), the company founded by the Brooks family.

HPB 84 is a proprietary blend of the following herbs, all of which have long histories of use in Ayurvedic medicine:

Bitter Melon: A fruit widely used in Asian medicine, that promotes insulin release and enhances glucose uptake in cells.

Najajihwa: An Indian herb that raises serum insulin levels and increases insulin sensitivity.

Jambul: Used to lower blood glucose levels and block absorption of sugar in the GI tract.

Fenugreek: A common herb in Asian and Western botanical medicine, that lowers glucose levels and reduces urination and thirst.

Bengal Quince: A fruit that promotes beta-cell regeneration in the pancreas.

Guarmar: An herb containing compounds that signal beta-cell growth.

Cinnamon: A common spice that promotes conversion of glucose to glycogen.

One of the unique aspects of this product is the fact that it can actually promote the growth and health of beta-cells in the pancreas, something that none of the available anti-diabetes pharmaceuticals can do. HEE manufactures the herbal formula here in the United States, under pharmaceutical manufacturing practices, and distributes it primarily through MDs, naturopaths and some chiropractors.

The company recently undertook a small clinical trial involving 10 Type 2 Diabetics in the Kansas City area, who took HPB 84, 6 tablets per day in divided doses at mealtimes, for a total of 12 weeks. All patients were overweight and on one or more diabetes medications, though their glucose levels still persisted in the 150–180 range. At the close of the study, all 10 had significant fasting blood glucose decreases, with some patients entering normal range. Hemoglobin A1c also decreased. Several patients lost weight. One of the two patients taking insulin were able to stop, and several others were able to discontinue medications.

Radley Brooks, president of HEE and the founder’s son, said the biggest challenge with the use of HPB84 is to keep glucose levels from dropping into hypoglycemic range. “It is very easy to get there with these herbs, which is why it is essential to have close physician monitoring when using this product.” The company has worked with medical consultants to develop a dose escalation and then titration schedule based on an individual patient’s body weight, baseline glucose level and other medications. Once a patient on the product reaches target glucose levels, it is very important to lower daily intake of HPB84, to the minimum necessary maintenance dose.

Mr. Brooks said that though the product is still very new, physicians have been receptive to it. The company is planning to fund further clinical studies. For more information about HPB84, visit: www.hpb84.net or call 888-763-9543.

Essential Oils Lower Glucose, BP

The term “essential oils” may evoke images of aromatherapy and spa treatments, but there’s growing evidence that oral ingestion of essential oils of medicinal plants like oregano, rosemary, fenugreek, cinnamon and others have therapeutic properties in the prevention and treatment of various bacterial, fungal and viral infections. Preliminary data indicate that these oils are also able to regulate blood pressure, increase insulin sensitivity and lower blood glucose, suggesting they may be helpful in the prevention or treatment of diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Investigators at the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Georgetown University, a group that has been at the forefront of testing natural products for potential health benefits, studied an essential oil combination known as “Oregulin” (North American Herb & Spice), in obese, hypertensive and insulin resistant rats. The product contains the oils of herbs like oregano, fennel, myrtle, cumin, cinnamon and fenugreek in a base of pumpkinseed and olive oil.

The rats were randomized to receive 2–3 drops of the oil, depending on their size, or equivalent drops of water, twice daily. The researchers measured changes in systolic blood pressure, and blood sugar levels following glucose tolerance testing.

After 4 weeks, all of the Zucker fatty rats (a model of human metabolic syndrome) treated with the essential oil formula showed marked responses with mean systolic blood pressure reductions of 15–20 mmHg, Blood glucose at 2–3 hours following the tolerance test was a mean of 233 mg/dl for the controls but 180 mg/dl for the animals treated with the essential oils (Talpur N, et al. Diabetes Obes Metab 2005 Mar; 7(2): 193–9).

“We believe essential oils may prove useful in the battle against insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes,” the authors wrote. They attribute the observed therapeutic effects primarily to the fenugreek and cinnamon oils in the mixture. There are studies showing fenugreek can block glucose absorption, while cinnamon has insulin-like activity. For more information about the Oregulin formula, contact Physicians Strength/North American Herb & Spice, 800-243-5242.

Pycnogenol Boosts CV Function, Reduces Glucose

Pycnogenol, a standardized extract of French Maritime Pine tree bark can improve cardiovascular function and lower blood glucose, according to a recent study of Type 2 Diabetics. Prior studies have shown this product can improve peripheral vascular circulation, making it a useful natural therapy for preventing deep vein thrombosis and diabetic retinopathy.

The new study, published in the journal Life Sciences, involved 77 diabetic patients randomized to placebo or 100 mg pycnogenol for 12 weeks. All patients continued on their conventional antidiabetic drugs. The investigators found that compared with placebo, the pine bark extract produced significant and clinically meaningful reductions in blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c, while increasing endothelin 1, all of which are beneficial changes above that obtained with the pharmacotherapies alone (Liu X, et al. Life Sci 2004; 75 (21): 2505–13).

Peter Rohdewald, Ph.D. Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Muenster and one of the authors of the study, noted that, “Blood vessels are generally more constricted in diabetic people, often causing poor circulation. Several of the observed parameters in this new study suggest that Pycnogenol significantly releases blood vessel constriction. This super-strength antioxidant supports the body’s own mechanisms that lead to better blood flow. For more information on Pycnogenol, visit www.pycnogenol.com.