Fact Check: Can cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom and clove miraculously cure diabetes?
An Instagram post claims that cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom and clove miraculously cures diabetes. The claim is FALSE.
Claim
In an Instagram post claims that cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom and clove miraculously cures diabetes. The reel by user avadhdhara is captioned "Sugar patient का रामबाण इलाज" and in the reel it is said, "There must be someone in your house who has sugar and cholesterol. Give them this much piece of cinnamon tea daily. Give it for 6 months. Come back for a check-up after 2 days. Just this much piece, take this much piece of cinnamon. Don’t bring cinnamon powder. Take cinnamon in the stick form. This much piece, two black peppers, one cardamom, and one clove—crush them. Mix it in two glasses of water. When it becomes one glass, drink it. Continue for 6 months and after 6 months you will see the proper results."
The reel can be accessed here.
Fact Check
The claim is FALSE. Cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, and clove can support a healthy diet and aid in managing diabetes, but they do not offer a cure, as diabetes is a chronic disease.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic condition that occurs either when the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin or when the body is unable to use the insulin effectively. Insulin is a hormone essential for controlling blood glucose levels. When diabetes is not well managed, it can lead to hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, which over time can cause serious harm to multiple organ systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.
What are the Types of Diabetes?
Diabetes can occur in several forms, and the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies it into four main types:
Type 1 diabetes, also called insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes, arises from the body’s inability to produce enough insulin, necessitating daily insulin administration. As of 2017, it affected about 9 million individuals, predominantly in wealthier countries. Its exact cause remains unclear, and there are currently no known preventive measures.
Type 2 diabetes results from the body’s ineffective use of insulin, leading to elevated blood glucose levels. Over time, this can damage nerves and blood vessels. It is largely preventable and is associated with factors such as obesity, physical inactivity, and genetic predisposition. Early detection through regular screenings is vital, as symptoms can be subtle and may only become apparent after complications have developed. Type 2 accounts for over 95% of all diabetes cases and, while once mainly affecting adults, is now increasingly diagnosed in children.
Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy and is characterized by elevated blood sugar levels that don’t meet the criteria for diabetes. It heightens the risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth and increases the mother’s and child’s future risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It is typically identified through routine prenatal testing.
Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and impaired fasting glycemia (IFG) represent intermediate states between normal blood sugar levels and diabetes. Though these conditions increase the risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes, the transition is not inevitable.
Can Diabetes Be Cured?
While there is currently no cure for diabetes, many individuals can achieve diabetes reversal. This means managing blood sugar levels so effectively, primarily through sustained healthy eating habits and regular physical activity that medications are no longer required. Maintaining this state requires long-term lifestyle commitment and ongoing monitoring.
What are the Health Benefits of Cinnamon?
Cinnamon is rich in manganese, calcium, iron, and fiber. It has potent antioxidant properties due to its high content of polyphenols. It helps regulate blood sugar levels, making it beneficial for people with diabetes. Its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties support overall health aid in reducing inflammation, and fight infections. Cinnamon also helps improve digestion.
What are the Health Benefits of Black Pepper?
Black pepper, known as the "King of spices," is not only valued for enhancing flavor but also for its numerous medicinal properties. Rich in bioactive compounds like piperine, it offers antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and hypolipidemic effects. Studies have shown its potential to fight infections and reduce oxidative stress. Black pepper also possesses anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and neuroprotective properties.
What are the Health Benefits of Cardamom?
Cardamom, often called the "queen of spices," is a fragrant spice native to the Western Ghats of South India. Known for its sweet, mint-like flavor, it has been used in traditional medicine for centuries due to its powerful antioxidant and therapeutic properties. The seeds, oils, and extracts of cardamom are valued for their medicinal benefits.
Cardamom is rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium, which support heart health and helps regulate blood pressure. Its diuretic effects help detoxify the body and reduce water retention. Cardamom fights bad breath, eases asthma by clearing airways, reduces muscle and joint pain with its anti-inflammatory properties, supports digestion, and relieves nausea.
What are the health benefits of Clove?
Clove is a widely used and highly prized spice known for its role in food preservation and traditional medicine for centuries. Its numerous health benefits stem from its abundance of antioxidants and its antimicrobial, analgesic, and antiviral properties. These exceptional qualities make clove unique among spices, earning it recognition for its significant health-enhancing effects and its long-standing importance in natural medicine.
Can cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom and clove miraculously cure diabetes?
No, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, and clove cannot miraculously cure diabetes. While some of these spices may have modest blood sugar-lowering effects, they do not cure the condition and should never replace medically prescribed treatments.
Cinnamon is a widely used natural supplement currently being studied for its potential to enhance glycemic control. An article by Robert W. Allen in the Annals of Family Medicine reported that consuming cinnamon is linked to a statistically significant reduction in fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and triglyceride levels, as well as an increase in HDL-C levels; however, it did not show a significant impact on hemoglobin A1c.
Black pepper has gained attention for their potential therapeutic effects in management of metabolic disorders like diabetes and hypertension. Ganiyu Oboh et. al.'s study found that black pepper is rich in phenolics and has strong antioxidant activity. It effectively inhibited α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and angiotensin-I converting enzyme—mechanisms that may support the management of type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
Cardamom, a spice known for its medicinal properties, has gained attention for its potential role in managing diabetes, a chronic condition characterized by oxidative stress and inflammation. A recent study published in the Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews explored that cardamom supplementation significantly boosted the production and activity of antioxidant enzymes in diabetic patients, while simultaneously reducing oxidative stress and markers of inflammation.
Clove, a spice rich in bioactive compounds is being investigated for its potential benefits in regulating blood glucose levels in individuals with diabetes. A clinical trial conducted by Ratheesh Mohan et. al. highlighted that clove supplementation may support healthy glucose metabolism, emphasizing its potential as a therapeutic aid in diabetes management.
The spices cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom and clove can complement a healthy diet and help in diabetes management but there is no scientific support to them curing diabetes
Dr G Krishna Mohan Reddy, Consultant Physician and Diabetologist, Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad in a conversation with The Medical Dialogues Fact Check Team said, "Medicines play a crucial role in managing diabetes, especially when lifestyle changes (like diet and exercise) aren’t enough to control blood glucose levels.Diabetic medicines are prescribed to manage blood sugar levels effectively, especially for Type 1 and advanced Type 2 diabetes. Medicines can prevent serious complications (nerve damage, kidney disease, etc.). Clinically tested and proven to lower blood glucose level. Whereas home remedies are used to support overall health and complement medication, not replace it. There is Lack of scientific evidence to prove the effect of home remedies exclusively on diabetes"
Dr Arun Mukka, Sr. Consultant Endocrinologist, Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad further added, "Before we talk about curing of diabetes, we need to understand there are basically two types of diabetes. The type one diabetes is the one which happens because of deficiency of the insulin. There is a 100% insulin deficiency because of which insulin needs to be administered to the patient and that is the only treatment. Whereas the common garden variety of diabetes is the type two diabetes which happens because of the insulin resistance or excellent insensitivity.
Now this particular type to diabetes can be controlled but cannot be cured completely. Complete cure or the remission of diabetes can happen in small set of people when there is a 7 to 10% of the weight loss. Now we know that diabetic medications help in controlling the sugars.
Additionally, kitchen supplements and the spices like cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper and cloves help in bringing down a phenomena called as oxidative stress which helps in partial management of the diabetes. At the same time, they also cause increased insulin sensitivity because of which there can be improvement in the sugar but they cannot cure diabetes."
Health Dialogues Final Take
The claim that cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, and clove miraculously cure diabetes is false. While these spices may support metabolic health to a minor degree, no reputable medical body recognizes them as a standalone treatment, let alone a cure.
Hence, the claim is FALSE.