Benefits of curry leaves for diabetes has been known since ancient time. Curry leaves is a kind of herbal spices that have so many health benefits. It makes our foods healthy and tasty with unique, appetizing aroma.
It contains many types of antioxidants and has benefits to treat diarrhea, bloated stomach, excessive stomach acid, peptic ulcer, dysentery, diabetes and unbalanced cholesterol. It is also believed to combat cancers and helps maintain healthy liver.
Scientific name of curry leaves is Murraya Koenigii Spreng. In Indonesia, it is called asam koja or temurui. The plant is originated from India, and can be found in tropical and subtropical regions. It is wildly cultivated in other countries, such as China, Australia, Nigeria, Srilanka, and Thailand. Most of the plant is useful in ayurvedic medicine, from the leaves, roots, and bark.
In ayuvedic medicine, curry leaves are believed to contain many useful benefits, such as anti-diabetes, anti-oxidant, anti-microbes, anti-inflammation, and hepatoprotector. The roots are used to relieve body aches and the bark is used to treat snake bites. See benefits of beets for diabetics to find other natural sources for diabetes.
Nutritional Facts of Curry Leaves
The main nutrients contained in curry leaves are carbohydrates, energy, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, copper and minerals. It also contains vitamins, such as nicotinic acid, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin E, antioxidant, phytosterol, amino acids, and flavonoid glycocide.
More specific contents in 100 grams of curry leaves are in the table below:
| Contents (per 100 g curry leaves) | |
| Proteins | 1% |
| Carbohydrates | 16% |
| Fats | 1% |
| Fibers | 6,4% |
| Minerals | 4,2% |
| Water | 66,3% |
Vitamins and Minerals
| Amount (per 100 g curry leaves) | |
| Vitamin A | 12.600 IU |
| Nicotinic acid | 2,3 mg |
| Vitamin C | 4 mg |
| Calcium | 810 mg |
| Iron | 2,1 mg |
| Phosphorus | 600 mg |
Essential Oils:
| Contents (per 100 grams curry leaves) | |
| α-pinena | 51,7% |
| β-phellandrena | 24,4% |
| Sabinena | 10,5% |
| β-pinena | 9,8% |
| β-caryophyllene | 5,5% |
| Limonena | 5,4% |
| Bornyl-acetate | 1,8% |
| Terpinen-4-ol | 1,3% |
| γ-terpinena | 1,2% |
Another chemical substance contained in curry leaves is alkaloid carbazole. A research conducted by House Economy Department in Kenmei Women’s Junior College in Hyogo, Japan showed that curry leaves have antioxidant characteristic features.
Substances included in alkaloid carbazole are mahanimbine, murrayanol, mahanineonimbine, O-methylmurrayamine A, O-methylmahanine, isomahanine, bismahanine, and bispyrayafoline. Horticulture Department in Michigan, USA, showed that these substances has anti-microbes and anti-insect characteristics, especially towards mosquitoes. See also benefits of guava for dengue fever.
Diabetes at a Glance
Diabetes is usually referred to Diabetes Mellitus, a chronic condition in which blood sugar level is far above normal. Diabetes is caused by the lack of insulin, a hormone responsible for distributing glucose into body organs and cells. Insulin is produced in pancreas.
In diabetic patients, their pancreas can’t produce enough insulin as required by the body. Without insulin, body cells can’t absorp glucose and convert it into energy. There are 2 types of diabetes: type 1 and 2. Most of diabetic patients (90%) have diabetes type 2. To see further, click types of diabetes.
Many type 2 diabetic patients do not realize that they have been contracting diabetes for years because the symptoms are usually unspecific.
Some symptoms of diabetes include:
- excessive thirst
- excessive urination, especially at night
- extreme hunger
- drastic loss of body weight without clear causes (such as strict diets,etc), despite of eating more frequently and in larger portion due to extreme hunger
- decreased muscle mass (emaciation)
- there is keton in urine. Keton is a side product of muscles and fat metabolism which happens when insulin production is not enough
- excessive fatigue
- blurred vision
- wounds that take long time to heal (or not healing at all)
- often acquiring infection, for example on the gum, skin, vagina, or urinary tract
- Decreased sexual function, marked by impotency in men and frigidity in women
If you or members of your family have symptoms like the ones mentioned above, we should contact our doctor to get further tests and treatments.
Sadly, diabetes has no cure. Once someone is diagnosed with diabetes, he/she has the lifelong contract with the disease. All the drugs and diets only can keep the blood sugar level in normal state, but not curing the disease itself. Although the blood sugar level is normal, diabetic patient should still consume diabetic drugs, follow low-sugar diet, exercise regularly, and check their blood sugar level at least once every month.
If a diabetic patient doesn’t comply to healthy lifestyle and does not consume diabetic drugs regularly, there is a chance that the diabetes could damage the internal organs, such as kidneys and liver. If a drug or an advertisement says that they can cure and elliminate diabetes, it is likely a scam.
Indeed, you may also read more natural cure for diabetes such as Benefits of Bitter Gourd for Diabetes (Traditional Cure) and Health Benefits of Okra for Diabetes Treatments.
Benefits of Curry Leaves for Diabetes
Many people think that curry leaves only serve as food additives. Most of the time, people just throw away curry leaves when they are eating their soups or curries. However, curry leaves are much more useful than just food additives. It offers many health benefits without any side effects, unlike modern drugs.
Benefits of curry leaves for diabetes can be obtained because curry leaves contain flavonoids, a glycocide substance. It is also called anti-diabetic substance. This is why many people believe that curry leaves contain a substance that can inhibit the process of breaking starch into glucose in diabetic patients. Meanwhile, there are many List of Medicinal Plants for Diabetes Treatment
Not only helping decrease blood sugar level, curry leaves are known to control it. Flavonoids contained in curry leaves controls blood sugar level by affecting insulin activity. Moreover, fibers contained in curry leaves have important role to decrease blood sugar, by inhibiting absorption of excessive carbohydrates (which will be turned into sugar) in our digestive system. So if you have diabetes, consuming curry leaves is a good method to control your blood sugar. See also benefits of bitter gourds for diabetes.
How to Consume Curry Leaves for Diabetes
It is very simple to obtain the benefits of curry leaves for diabetes.
- Just eat atleast 10 pieces of raw, young curry leaves everyday for at least 3 months.
- You can add the leaves into salad.
- Do not cook the leaves, because cooking process can ruin all the good substances contained in the leaves.
- The old, dark-colored leaves can be used as herbs to add into soup or curry, but they do not contain as high amount of flavonoids as young leaves.
By consuming raw curry leaves everyday, not only the blood sugar, but cholesterol will be controlled too. This is due to the high fiber content in curry leaves.