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The importance of regulating blood sugar is clear: stabilizing blood sugar can prevent many health problems, one of the most obvious being diabetes, which is often a result of years of unstable blood sugar. Fortunately, for most of us it is within our power to take control of our blood sugar levels by remaining active and making the right food choices and also by drinking camomile tea (甘菊茶).

Camomile tea has long been prized for its ability to calm and relax, making it a favored tea for bedtime, but now a recent study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry shows camomile may serve another purpose: regulating blood sugar.

Camomile tea lowers blood glucose in research study

At the University of Toyama in Japan and at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research in the United Kingdom, researchers studied the effect of camomile tea on diabetic rats. Half of the rats were given a dose of camomile extract for three weeks. Another set of diabetic rats was given a normal diet with no addition of camomile.

The study observed that when camomile was given to the rats, a lesser amount of glucose was turned into sorbitol (a sugar alcohol). Excess sorbitol can cause damage to kidneys, eyes and nerve cells. The enzymes primarily responsible for this kind of damage in diabetics were also inhibited in the camomile rats. The rats who were fed camomile extract also showed an overall decrease in blood glucose compared to the other rats.

The authors of the study stated there is a clear link between the daily consumption of camomile tea and preventing the progression of diabetes and hyperglycemia. As usual there are those who say more research needs to be done to determine just how effective this treatment can be, but to anyone searching for a natural way of regulating blood sugar, the results of this study are more than enough encouragement to start drinking camomile tea.

Maintain regular blood sugar levels to stay healthy

Camomile tea’s benefits aren’t only for those with diabetes. For diabetics, stabilizing blood sugar is crucial for good health, but the truth is even people without diabetes can benefit from maintaining normal blood sugar levels. Blood sugar swings are associated with fatigue, sugar cravings and insulin resistance, among other symptoms. Taking measures to regulate blood sugar can actually prevent the onset of diabetes in healthy individuals, and it will also help you feel more energetic and maintain a healthy weight.

Of course, if you’re considering drinking camomile tea solely to regulate your blood sugar, keep in mind it’s a healthy addition to an overall lifestyle that naturallly contributes to healthy blood sugar. Other steps which should be included in this lifestyle are regular exercise, eating balanced meals, avoiding refined foods and getting plenty of sleep.

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A lot of food packaging have a label marked with "Low GI". GI is the short-form of glycemic index. It is the rate at which carbohydrates affects our blood glucose level. The index was created in 1980 to categorize which food is best for diabetic patients.

Carbohydrate increases blood glucose level

Carbohydrate in food after being absorbed through digestion increases blood glucose. The rate at which blood glucose increases depends on the type of carbohydrate. Food with high GI releases glucose in the bloodstream faster and in larger quantities, while low GI food increases blood glucose slower and in a steadier pace. Glycemic index is a number between 0 to 100. High GI is ranked between 70 to 100, such as watermelon, white rice, white bread and glucose. Medium GI is ranked between 56 to 69, including whole wheat and brown rice. Lastly, low GI is anywhere between 0 to 55 representative of most fruit and vegetables and milk.

When considering items of equal carbohydrate, patients with diabetes is suggested to consume foods with low GI value to increase the effectiveness of insulin and blood glucose regulation in target cells. Studies have shown that the intake of high GI foods compared to low GI foods produces more fat body mass and fewer lean body mass, and can also lead to other metabolic dysfunctions. Parts of the study suggested that by regularly eating a low GI diet, we can decrease our lipid level and lower the rate of having heart disease.

Now we know the upside, so what’s the downside?

Low GI foods seem to have a wonderful array of health benefits. However, they don’t necessary mean low calorie or low fat. There are products such as chocolate, chips and cakes that may have low GI but high calorie and fat. The fat content of these type of food stay in the stomach for a longer period of time, thereby decreasing the rate of which glucose is released. So even with a low GI rank, they are rather unhealthy for the body. The next time you go grocery shopping, in addition to watching for the glycemic index, be aware of the total amount of calorie, fat and carbohydrate as well.

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