Herbal remedies to treat the effects of diabetes

December 15, 2006 – Medicinal plants from Nord-du-Québec could help fight type 2 diabetes, a growing health problem around the world. Quebec researchers may have found a new way to treat the symptoms of this disease.

More among the Crees
Type 2 diabetes has increased significantly among the Aboriginal population in recent years. The disease affects nearly 20% of Cree adults in Nord-du-Québec, compared to 4.8% of Canadians aged 20 and over. The natives are said to have a genetic predisposition for the disease. Changes in the Cree lifestyle and diet also explain this discrepancy.

The authors of the study¹ tried to find out which herbal remedies the Cree used would be able to help them control the effects of type 2 diabetes. sickness.

The researchers evaluated in the laboratory the antidiabetic potential of eight plants taken from the pharmacopoeia of the Cree nation. “These eight plants have confirmed antidiabetic activities by restoring the insulin sensitivity of muscle and fat cells”, explains one of the researchers, Pierre Haddad.².

Three plants – pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea), Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum) and black spruce (Picea mariana) – were found to be “particularly promising”. The researchers are preparing to test the effects of these plants on mice, before moving on to possible clinical studies.

Andrée-Anne Guénette – PasseportSanté.net

1. Spoor D, Martineau LC, et al. Selected plant species from the Cree pharmacopoeia of northern Quebec possess anti-diabetic potential, Can. J. Physiol. Pharmacol, 84: 847-858 (2006).
2. Pierre Haddad is professor of pharmacology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montreal.