Natural Medicines Newsletter

Volume 1, Issue 8, 03/12/2009

Question

My patient wants to treat their diabetes naturally with Goat's Rue or French Lilac. How do these natural medicines work to treat diabetes and are there any safety concerns?

Answer

Goat's Rue or French Lilac (Galega officinalis) is a flowering plant that has been used to treat diabetes since the early 1900's.(1,2)  The active ingredient is known to be guanidine and initially marketed under the trade name Synthalin.(2-5)  It was guanidine from which the most widely used and cost-effective prescription medication for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, metformin (Glucophage®), was derived.(2)......To read the full answer please LOGIN or SUBSCRIBE NOW.