Colds can be experienced by everyone, including diabetics, to overcome colds, diabetics must be careful in choosing the content of a drug without increasing blood sugar levels.
The term colds actually does not exist in medical literature. This term is used in Indonesia to refer to a collection of common symptoms that are often experienced such as flatulence, aches, nausea, chills to fever. Conditions that can be caused by many things are generally treated alone by taking herbal medicines.
Here are some ingredients that are generally contained in herbal medicines to treat colds.
- Zingiberis rhizoma or ginger, plays a role in treating stomach disorders, such as pain, nausea, flatulence and diarrhea. In addition, this herbaceous plant can also treat diseases caused by bacterial and viral infections.
- Fennel, a fragrant herb that when dried can be used as a flavoring dish. Meanwhile, fennel seeds and oil are used as medicine to treat intestinal gas, flatulence, heartburn, cough, bronchitis, and colic in babies.
- Mint leaves, a plant used to treat digestive disorders, such as vomiting, flatulence, heartburn, diarrhea, loss of appetite, headache, fever, cough, flu, and sore throat. Mint leaves work by fighting infection, preventing the formation of gas in the intestines, and stimulating bile flow.
Unfortunately, colds can be a problem for people with diabetes. When sick, blood sugar levels tend to rise due to increased levels of hormones that fight infection. This condition makes it harder for the body to use insulin properly.
Therefore, to deal with colds, people with diabetes need to choose drugs that are not high in sugar content. This can be seen by reading the label carefully. One of the sweetener content that is not dangerous for people with diabetes is royal jelly.
Closer to Royal Jelly
The benefits of honey, especially raw honey, have been widely known by the public. But not so with the benefits of royal jelly. Royal jelly is a special food prepared by worker bees for groups of bees and their larvae that will become queen bees. This special food is needed so that the queen bee can lay eggs, live longer, stronger and bigger. This food is called royal jelly.
Royal jelly is rich in nutrients because it is made of sugar, fatty acids, water, protein, vitamins, salts, and amino acids, with different compositions in each climate and region. Therefore, royal jelly is claimed to bring many benefits.
Royal jelly is also touted to have benefits for diabetics. A 2016 study found that people with type 2 diabetes who took 1000 milligrams of royal jelly three times a day could significantly lower their blood glucose levels. Other studies have also revealed that royal jelly can increase insulin sensitivity and antioxidant levels in people with diabetes, especially for people aged 25-65 years. In addition, this ingredient also plays a role in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and cholesterol levels.
In addition to diabetes, royal jelly is also claimed to help treat several conditions such as:
- Wound healing and fighting infection by speeding up the replacement of damaged skin cells that diabetics desperately need.
- Royal jelly can be an elixir against premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
- Royal jelly contains anti-inflammatory and antibacterial ingredients that can boost the immune system.
In addition, royal jelly is also claimed to help treat pancreatitis, insomnia, liver disorders, asthma, premenstrual syndrome, kidney disease, stomach ulcers, menopause symptoms, fractured bones, and high cholesterol, as well as boost immunity. However, the claims of these benefits to human health basically still require further research.
However, like other ingredients that contain risks, consumption of royal jelly also needs special supervision, namely for someone who is pregnant and or breastfeeding, children under one year of age because they are at risk of botulism, someone who is allergic to bees or asthma, someone who is currently suffering from asthma. taking blood thinners, and people with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer.
Therefore, diabetics may be able to make products containing these ingredients added with royal jelly to treat cold symptoms. However, even though it is classified as a natural ingredient, still use royal jelly according to the instructions for use and it is better to consult a doctor or pharmacist.