New Delhi, January 30: The combination of formulation 'BGR-34' and allopathic drug 'Glibenclamide' has the potential to control blood sugar levels in patients suffering from diabetes, says a new study done by doctors of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The findings of the study not only improve the overall quality life diabetic patients but will also help in lowering the risk of a heart attack. The study was performed on animals over the period of 18 months in which doctors provided Ayurveda formulation 'BGR-34' and allopathic drug Glibenclamide separately to a group, while a combination of both the drugs to another group. Ayurveda and Diabetes: Ayurvedic Herbs to Effectively Balance Blood Sugar Levels.

The experiment was led by Dr Sudhir Chandra Sarangi from the Pharmacology Department of AIIMS. The study noted that faster growth of diabetes can be paused when the allopathic drug is integrated with BGR-34, which is a herbal formulation and acts as an anti-oxidant. BGR-34 does not permit poor cholesterol to grow in the body.

"The outcome from the experimental model indicates that though the medicines from both the pathies are effective in controlling the biochemical parameters during the managing of diabetes to a certain extent, a combination of two exclusively benefits patients in restoring these biomarker parameters better than the individual effect from one and nearer to the value in normal subjects," said the report.

A doctor who was part of the research said the results of the study are encouraging. "It was found that the combination group who were given ayurvedic BGR-34 and Glibenclamide had more improvement in insulin level than those given allopathic drug alone. It also showed the cholesterol-lowering (cardio protective) effect. The improvement rate also accelerated, from almost 40 days to 28 days," said the doctor.

A combination on herbs like Vijaysar, Daruharidra, Manjisth, Gudmar, Giloe and Methika found in the upper region of Himalayas, BGR-34 was prepared after intensive research by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research's (CSIR) two Lucknow based labs--Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) and National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI).

Recently, a team of scientists from Tehran University too, in their separate study, concluded that herbal drugs having anti-oxidant properties can reduce the risk of Covid-19 in diabetic patients.