Haritaki and Diabetes: Why Did Scientists Give It to People With Type 2 Diabetes?

Haritaki Didn't Stay in the Ayurveda Books

Haritaki (Terminalia chebula) has centuries of history in Ayurveda. But researchers eventually asked a much more modern question:

What happens when people with type 2 diabetes actually take a standardized Haritaki extract?

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study investigated exactly that. Researchers enrolled 60 people with type 2 diabetes and assigned them to placebo or Terminalia chebula extract at 250 mg or 500 mg, taken twice daily for 12 weeks. PubMed

What Were Researchers Looking For?

Interestingly, the study wasn't simply a “does Haritaki lower blood sugar?” experiment.

Researchers focused heavily on endothelial function—how well the inner lining of blood vessels functions—as well as several markers associated with cardiovascular risk.

They also measured nitric oxide, oxidative-stress markers, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, HbA1c and participants' lipid profiles. PubMed

What Happened After 12 Weeks?

The researchers reported that both Haritaki groups showed improvements in endothelial function compared with placebo, with the larger change occurring in the 500 mg twice-daily group.

They also reported favorable changes in several other cardiovascular-risk indicators measured during the trial. PubMed

That's fascinating because it takes Haritaki far beyond discussions of traditional use: scientists were measuring biological markers in actual patients under controlled clinical conditions.

What About Haritaki and Blood Sugar?

This is where we need to separate an exciting headline from what the evidence actually proves.

The study included HbA1c among its measurements, but its primary focus was endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, oxidative stress and cardiovascular-risk indicators in people who already had type 2 diabetes. PubMed

Other research has explored possible glucose-related mechanisms more directly. For example, laboratory research on constituents from Terminalia chebula has investigated cellular glucose uptake and PPAR signaling, while research on chebulagic acid isolated from Haritaki has reported glucose-related effects in experimental models. PubMed

Those findings are interesting—but laboratory and animal results are not proof of the same effect in humans.

So Can Haritaki Treat Diabetes?

This research does not establish Haritaki as a treatment for diabetes.

The clinical study involved only 60 participants, lasted 12 weeks and tested specific standardized aqueous extracts. Its results cannot automatically be applied to every Haritaki powder, capsule or extract.

People with diabetes also shouldn't replace or modify prescribed medication based on Haritaki research without discussing it with their healthcare professional.

What the study does show is something worth knowing:

Haritaki isn't only an ancient botanical being discussed in traditional medicine. Researchers have actually tested Terminalia chebula in people living with type 2 diabetes.

And scientists are still trying to understand what this unusual fruit may—or may not—do.

Discover the botanical behind the research with Harlowi Haritaki Third Eye Capsules below.