Will drinking traditional Chinese medicine raise blood sugar levels?
Disease description:
Mom has been taking care of her health over the past few days and has consumed some traditional Chinese herbal medicine. She went for a checkup yesterday and found that her blood glucose level was elevated. Can taking traditional Chinese herbal medicine cause an increase in blood glucose?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Pan Yongyuan
In general, taking traditional Chinese herbal medicine does not significantly affect blood glucose levels. However, if a prescription contains large amounts of honey-processed herbs—such as honey-fried Astragalus (Huang Qi) or honey-fried Licorice (Gan Cao)—the substantial honey content may influence blood glucose and cause fluctuations. Similarly, herbs with high starch content—such as Chinese Yam (Shan Yao) and Coix Seed (Yi Yi Ren)—may affect blood glucose levels if used in excessive quantities within a single herbal formula.
