ANCIENT NUTRA BLOG POSTS

Overhead view of a rice and vegetable curry lunch on a linen tablecloth, with a small glass bowl of mixed seeds and a glass of water
blood sugar

Why you feel sleepy after lunch: what the evidence shows

In a sleep-lab study only 5 of 15 healthy adults got sleepier after eating. Here is what really drives the after-lunch slump, and what the evidence rules out.

blood sugarThree unlabelled amber glass supplement bottles, a small pile of Ceylon cinnamon quills and a closed blank notebook on a wooden desk in soft morning light

A letter about the blood sugar claims we will not make

Gurmar blunts sweet taste for minutes. Venivel has zero human trials. A letter on the blood sugar claims Ancient Nutra will not make, and why restraint stays.

AyurvedaThree unlabelled amber glass supplement bottles on linen beside Ceylon cinnamon quills, a heap of fenugreek seeds and two halves of a ridged green bitter melon

5 mistakes people make when choosing a blood sugar herb

Fenugreek has the most human trial data of the three, from 10 trials and 706 people. Here are 5 mistakes people make picking a blood sugar herb, and the fixes.

blood sugarDried gymnema leaves, Ceylon cinnamon quills and a plain amber jar of herbal capsules beside a cup of tea on linen

Blood Sugar and Herbs: 6 Reader Questions, Answered

Six honest answers on gurmar, cinnamon and blood sugar: what the 12-week trial actually found, safe use with metformin, and when to stop and get checked.

blood sugarThree unlabeled amber supplement bottles with gymnema leaves, Ceylon cinnamon quills and yellow-cored venivel wood on cream linen

The Sugar Balance System in order: what each herb is for

One box of the Sugar Balance System runs 30 days: Gurmar twice before meals, Ceylon Cinnamon with your largest carbohydrate meal, Venivel once daily with food.

bitter melonFresh whole and sliced Sri Lankan karavila (bitter melon) on a wooden board beside a clay bowl of sun-dried bitter melon rings

Karawila sambol: how Sri Lankan kitchens tame the bitter melon

Karawila sambol, the Sri Lankan bitter melon side dish: scoop the seeds, salt the rings, fry them crisp. Plus what 9 human trials found about blood sugar.

blood sugarFenugreek seeds spilling from a plain amber jar beside a row of beige capsules on cream linen

5 Things to Check on a Fenugreek Label Before You Buy

Standardised extract, seed powder, 4:1 ratio: what each term on a fenugreek label means, plus the 500 mg to 10 g daily dose range trials actually used.

ashwagandhaA steaming ceramic cup of warm milk beside cinnamon quills and dried leaves on linen, lit by a warm evening lamp

5 mistakes people make about stress and blood sugar

Five mistakes people make about stress and blood sugar, including the one where a single four hour night measurably raised insulin resistance in healthy adults.

ayurvedic herbsFresh green vine leaves and a plain clay bowl of milled green leaf powder on cream linen over a dark stone table

Gurmar and Sweet Taste: What the Bitter Leaf Really Does

Gymnemic acids block the human sweet taste receptor on the tongue. Here is what a 12 week trial of 600 mg a day found, and how long a course should run.

afternoonOverhead flat lay of a late afternoon table with herbal tea, a bowl of nuts, fresh leaves and a plain amber glass jar on cream linen

5 Mistakes Behind Late Afternoon Cravings, and How to Fix Them

Late afternoon cravings are not a willpower problem. Three nights of 5-hour sleep raised preferred sugar concentration from 12.9% to 20.9% in one trial. Five mistakes that build the 4 PM craving, a...

ayurvedaCut sections of a woody vine showing bright yellow inner wood, beside Ceylon cinnamon quills and dried leaves on linen

Venivel: What the Yellow Vine Is, and What We Actually Know

Venivel is the third herb in Ancient Nutra's Sugar Balance System. PubMed holds 49 papers on it and zero human trials, and the vine itself is in steep decline.

blood sugarOverhead flat lay of fenugreek seeds, Ceylon cinnamon quills, a halved bitter gourd and dried green leaves on cream linen

4 Blood Sugar Herbs, Ranked by How Strong the Evidence Is

Four Ceylon herbs for blood sugar, ranked by the trial evidence: fenugreek cut fasting glucose by 26.66 mg/dL across 10 randomised trials in 706 people.