Does kratom help cure or manage diabetes?
Can you benefit from the effects of kratom to help alleviate the symptoms of diabetes?
Kratom has been the talk of the town for a while now. While it’s established that it can significantly help reduce discomfort and stress, this herb offers another great benefit.
Though kratom is yet to be medically approved for its uses, many personal anecdotes suggest that kratom has helped people manage their blood sugar levels.
If you’re someone who has diabetes and is curious about trying kratom, keep on reading to explore the benefits, safety, and evidence relating kratom to diabetes.
Kratom Overview
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a natural herb that has been used for centuries in Southeast Asia for its medicinal properties. Kratom has been shown to be effective at easing pain, uplifting mood, and improving overall cognition and focus. Kratom is also known to reduce the tolerance caused by some hard drugs.
The leaves of Mitragyna speciosa contain mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, which are believed to be responsible for kratom’s psychoactive effects.
Though kratom is legal at the federal level in the US, it is currently not approved by the FDA for medicinal use and hence, should be used with caution.
How Does Diabetes Affect Your Body?
Diabetes occurs when your body doesn’t use insulin properly — either because you don’t make enough or because the hormone isn’t able to do its job effectively. In most cases, this happens because of a problem with how the pancreas produces insulin or how the body responds to it.
Insulin helps regulate blood sugar levels in the body. When you have diabetes, this hormone does not work as it should, and your blood sugar levels become too high or too low.
The most common type of diabetes is Type 1, which is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin.
However, some people develop type 2 diabetes as they age; this type occurs when a person’s body produces less insulin than it should (insulin resistance). If left untreated, type 2 diabetes can lead to serious health problems over time, such as heart disease and stroke.
Kratom and Diabetes
So, can kratom help reduce the ramifications of a chronic disease like diabetes and help you manage it well? The answer is yes.
As an all-natural herb, kratom can be a great alternative to medications that carry a risk of negative side effects and tolerance. Here is how the herb can help you manage diabetes:
Reduces Blood Sugar Levels
If you’re suffering from diabetes, using Kratom can help you control your blood sugar levels. As an antioxidant, it can help diabetics reduce oxidative stress and increase insulin sensitivity. You can take it as a standalone and also combine it with other herbs.
Moreover, patients with diabetes experience high blood sugar levels in the absence of insulin. Kratom can also help you regulate blood glucose levels and induce a hypoglycemic effect in diabetics.
Helps Manage High Blood Pressure and Stress
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), one in three people with diabetes develop high blood pressure and may take prescription medicine to manage their blood pressure.
If you want to switch to an alternate way of managing blood pressure and stress associated with diabetes, kratom can be of help.
The herb promotes relaxation by relaxing the muscles in your body. It also helps regulate blood pressure by increasing nitric oxide levels as well as reducing inflammation throughout your body.
Can Help Suppress Appetite
It should be a routine for diabetics to closely monitor what they are eating. If you’re suffering from diabetes, make sure you consume less sugar and curb the need to have sweets in your diet.
Since the food you eat is converted into glucose, your blood glucose levels rise as you consume more food. But if you’re having trouble managing this, Kratom can be of help!
Many people have used kratom because of its suppressing effects on appetite. Naturally, this usage is more common in people wanting to lose weight, but it can actually help diabetics manage their food consumption and help keep their blood glucose and weight in check.
It suppresses your appetite by reducing your craving for junk foods, lowering cholesterol levels, and in some cases, preventing insulin production.
Improves Insulin Sensitivity
Kratom has helped many users improve insulin sensitivity and regulate insulin levels. The herb can help transfer muscle cell glucose which can be crucial in managing both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. However, kratom may also help improve pancreatic function, helping the body produce more insulin.
Relieves Pain
As a natural analgesic, Kratom may also benefit diabetics since diabetic nerve damage often causes pain and discomfort. The pain-killing properties of kratom help relieve the irritation and pain associated with this condition.
What Does Evidence Suggest?
In today’s world, users are looking for ways to manage diseases and improve their lifestyles by incorporating something natural and non-addictive. Kratom proves to be a promising supplement that can provide relief from stress and discomfort suffered by diabetics and even help them regulate their food consumption and weight.
But how much of this holds true as per the evidence surrounding kratom?
Most researchers have explored the effects of Kratom in relation to type 2 diabetes, which has helped them identify that kratom can help restore insulin function. This is due to an increase in glucose transport activity in muscle cells, as found by a group of researchers in a study. The findings of this study implicate the traditional use of kratom to treat diabetes and may help users regulate their blood sugar levels using kratom, as backed by evidence.
There’s another study that suggests that kratom may affect body weight, blood pressure, pulse rate, and lipid profiles in patients with diabetes and other metabolic diseases.
In short, the current studies are limited, and there’s still much that needs to be explored about kratom in connection with diabetes.
Some Anecdotal Reports
Let’s explore some personal anecdotes that account for most of the reports about kratom to help manage diabetes. Many users are using kratom to manage their insulin sensitivity and blood glucose levels successfully. According to one user with type 1 diabetes:
“Type 1 for 21 years. Definitely notice more insulin sensitivity having used kratom for 2 years now. Also lowered blood pressure and cholesterol. That could be attributed to a more active lifestyle as a result though.” – Uzielsquibb on Reddit
Another user reports reaping the weight loss benefits of kratom to manage diabetes:
“Kratom not only helped me stop drinking, but it also helped me lose a decent amount of weight (presumably because I wasn’t consuming all of those empty alcohol calories). But, for those two reasons (no booze and losing some weight), several of my baseline numbers (liver enzymes and blood pressure, for example) improved measurably.” – Klinger84 on Reddit
Is it Safe To Use Kratom for Diabetes?
Since evidence suggests that kratom has been traditionally used to manage diabetes, it is definitely safe to use. But before starting kratom, it is vital to know the type of diabetes you have. It is also important to start with a small dose of kratom to see how your body reacts to its effects.
However, just like any other supplements or herbs, kratom should also be used with caution and only upon consultation with your healthcare practitioner to ensure safe health.
The Bottom Line
Managing diabetes may become challenging for people looking for natural supplements to alleviate their symptoms. With its promising effects, kratom can help improve your body’s response to insulin, manage stress, and help you keep your weight in check.
The current evidence relating to kratom and diabetes is still limited, and there is hope for more studies to reveal other benefits of kratom.
Make sure you start with the smallest dose possible and keep your health in check as you reap the benefits of kratom.
