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[Medical Science] Can eating bitter melon really lower blood sugar? Expert: The effect is minimal

Rumors:

People have a love-hate relationship with bitter melon - some people love its crisp and refreshing taste, while others find it too bitter to swallow. Bitter melon has been used as a medicinal material among the people for a long time, and there are many folk opinions about the efficacy of bitter melon. A common saying at present is that bitter melon can lower blood sugar. There are also some bitter melon capsules on the market that claim to "assist in lowering blood sugar". So, can bitter melon really lower blood sugar?

Bitter melon is effective only after being purified and taken

Ran Yingzhuo, director of the Endocrinology Department of Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that bitter melon is considered to have the potential to lower blood sugar. The effect is mainly due to the fact that the active ingredient in bitter melon extract, charantin, has been proven to have hypoglycemic effects. However, "This effect is premised, that is, it is effective after being purified from bitter melon and taking a large dose." Ran Yingzhuo believes that simply relying on bitter melon to lower blood sugar will have minimal effect and can only be used as an auxiliary treatment and cannot be expected to replace it. Medications lower blood sugar.

Ran Yingzhuo told reporters that bitter melon is not the only one that lowers blood sugar. Bitter and cold medicinal materials such as coptis, phellodendron, and skullcap all have blood sugar-lowering effects. For example, she said, clinically, berberine is mostly used to treat diarrhea, but for obese diabetic patients, doctors sometimes prescribe a little berberine - although berberine is not prescribed in clinical guidelines for diabetes treatment.

In addition, bitter melon is said to be a hypoglycemic food, to some extent, because bitter melon, pumpkin and other foods have a relatively low sugar content and a relatively high fiber content, which does not mean that they can lower blood sugar. Let’s just say, they don’t raise blood sugar as quickly as other foods. Therefore, there are currently no foods that can lower blood sugar. There are only some foods that make blood sugar rise more slowly, which is what we call foods with a low glycemic index.

Bitter melon is not the only one that has been deified

During the interview, the reporter learned that there are many people who use bitter melon to reduce blood sugar to treat diseases. Ran Yingzhuo said that clinically, she has also encountered people who soaked hawthorn to treat high blood lipids.

However, in fact, for people with high blood lipids, some have high triglycerides and some have high total cholesterol. Different types of high blood lipids use different medications. These people may also have high blood pressure and coronary disease. For heart disease, atherosclerosis, etc., it is not only unreliable to expect that drinking a few cups of hawthorn tea every day will lower blood lipids, but it may also mask other diseases and delay treatment.

In addition, she also mentioned that in order to lose weight, some young women boiled hawthorn, plantain and lotus leaves together and drank water. After drinking these traditional Chinese medicines that reduce dampness, they only remove the dampness in the human body. The water is taken away, not the real fat is removed. This kind of weight loss seems to put the cart before the horse.

Clinically, many people make tea and drink traditional Chinese medicine, either to treat diseases, to replenish qi, or to lower blood lipids. Regarding the Chinese medicinal materials that are often used as tea on the market, Director Zhang Zhongai of the Jinling Famous Medical Center of the Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine commented:

Pang Dahai: Many people like to make some Pang Dahai when their throats feel uncomfortable. drink. In fact, Pangdahai is only suitable for hoarseness caused by wind-heat and evil poisons invading the throat. For hoarseness caused by vocal cord nodules, vocal cord insufficiency, or excessive smoking and alcohol, using Pangdahai will not be effective. The State Food and Drug Administration reminds that long-term consumption of Pangdaidai can cause side effects such as thin stools and chest tightness. Elderly people with sudden loss of voice and spleen deficiency should use it with caution. In addition, people who have had allergic reactions after drinking Pangda Hai have also been clinically encountered.

Cassia Seed: Cassia Seed can clear the liver and improve eyesight, lower blood pressure and regulate lipids, so many elderly people often brew Cassia Seed and drink tea to protect their eyes and reduce blood pressure. However, as a traditional Chinese medicine, Cassia seeds are cold in nature and are not suitable for patients with spleen and stomach deficiency or spleen deficiency and diarrhea. It will cause diarrhea in the long term.

Licorice: Although it has the effects of tonifying the spleen, replenishing qi, clearing away heat and detoxifying, it also has the effect of adrenocortical hormones. Eating too much can increase blood pressure, leading to edema and hypokalemia.

Ginseng: Although ginseng is good, large amounts can also cause side effects. For daily health care, 2 to 3 tablets are enough.

Wild chrysanthemum: Wild chrysanthemum can dispel wind, improve eyesight, clear away heat and detoxify. Many people feel that they are getting angry, so they make some chrysanthemum tea and drink it for a while. However, after drinking wild chrysanthemum tea, many people will experience gastrointestinal reactions such as stomach discomfort, poor appetite, and borborygmus. Wild chrysanthemum is slightly cold in nature, so those with spleen and stomach deficiency and pregnant women should not drink it.

Ginkgo biloba: It is medicine, not a daily health drink. It contains toxic ingredients, and using it to make tea can cause paroxysmal spasms, nerve paralysis, allergies, bleeding and other side effects. Patients with allergies and high blood pressure should use it with caution.