Integrative Naturopathic and Herbal Interventions in the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus among the Indian Population: A Mixed-Methods Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64261/tnqdf288Keywords:
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Herbal Medicine, Naturopathy, Glycemic Control, Patient Perception, Integrative Medicine, India.Abstract
Background: There’s an increase in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in India as the majority of the population practices herbal and naturopathic therapies due to the cultural integration of these therapies. There are many medicinal herbs used in diabetes control; however, these herbs lack studies evaluating clinical outcomes and patients’ perspectives.
Objective: This evaluating the clinical effectiveness and patients’ perceptions of diabetes management on the commonly used herbs and naturopathic practices for glycemic control in patients with T2DM.
Methods: The authors performed a mixed-methods observational study of 300 T2DM patients in selected states of India. The quantitative component involved the collection of blood samples to assess fasting blood glucose (FBG), postprandial blood glucose (PPBG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c levels) in a pre-post analysis at 12 weeks. The researchers used semi-structured interviews for the qualitative component to look at the patients’ experiences, accomplishments, patient safety, and challenges encountered with the therapies. The paired sample t-tests and ANOVA tests were used to assess the quantitative data, while thematic analysis was used to assess the qualitative data.
Results: Outcomes after 12 weeks showed statistically significant reductions in FBG, PPBG, and HbA1c (p < .001). Bitter gourd and gymnema extract had the strongest results for improvement in glycemia. The majority of the participants had positive feedback regarding satisfaction, perceived safety, affordability, and the trust in the herbal glycemic control methods. Commonly, however, dosage unclearity, product quality, and lack of regulation concerns were mentioned.
Conclusion: Herbs and naturopathic methods showed improvement in glycemic control and were well received by patients with T2DM. Implementation of these methods into formal structured supervised health care should improve diabetes management while addressing safety and standardization issues.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Pan-African Journal of Health and Psychological Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
All articles published in the Pan-African Journal of Health and Psychological Sciences (PAJHPS) are open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Under this license:
-
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication.
-
The work may be shared, copied, redistributed, and adapted for any purpose, even commercially.
-
Appropriate credit must be given to the original author(s) and the journal, along with a link to the license.
-
Users must indicate if changes were made.
-
There are no restrictions on reuse, provided the original work is properly cited.
Citation:
Authors and users must cite the original work in the following manner:
Author(s). (Year). Title of the article. Pan-African Journal of Health and Psychological Sciences, Volume(Issue), page range. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/pajhps.vXnY.xxx
Copyright Statement:
Authors grant PAJHPS a non-exclusive license to publish the work and identify itself as the original publisher. Authors may enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version (e.g., post it to a repository or publish it in a book), with acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
