Andrographis paniculata and diabetes mellitus:
The herb Andrographis paniculata (AP) has been demonstrated to lower blood sugar and fasting insulin levels in a small trial involving 20 patients (age of 35 and 70 years) with type 2 diabetes. The study consisted of 12-weeks of daily administered capsules of powered AP at an initial dose of 600 mg (one capsule contained 300mg of dry herb), increasing to 1.8 g. AP was increased by 1 capsule (300 mg) each time an individuals had a fasting blood sugar level above 7 mmol/L (or 126 mg/dl). At the end of the study, researchers report no significant changes in mean body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, liver or lung function, mean hemoglobin, total white blood cell count, or platelet counts during treatment. There were minimal changes in electrolyte levels (serum sodium 139.5 to 139.85 mmol/L, serum potassium 4.15 to 4.34 mmol/L, serum calcium 2.23 to 2.39 ± 0.03 mmol/L, serum phosphorus 1.77 to 1.23 mmol/L), mean fasting blood sugar level (10.19 to 9.71 mmol/L), cholesterol (5.7 to 5.85 mmol/L), triglycerides (1.59 to 1.56 mmol/L), thyroid hormone (FT4 14.03 to 13.6 nmol/L, TSH 0.98 to 1.06 mU/L) and fasting cortisol levels (319.63 to 342.16 nmol/L). The only significant results reported were a decrease in mean HbA1 concentration, a measure of blood sugar, from 8.61% to 8.13% (a 5.46% decline). Fasting insulin levels were also significantly reduced by 20.93% (from 11.18 to 8.84 IU/L). (8)