Effect of Devil's Club Tea on Blood Glucose Levels in Diabetes Mellitus.

Devil's club (Oplopanax horridum) is a popular medicinal plant used by Native Indian tribes in the Pacific Northwest. One reported indication for using this plant is in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Several physicians have reported patients with diabetes who were able to maintain normal blood glucose levels while taking devil's club preparations. The authors performed a pilot study in which blood glucose levels were carefully monitored in an insulin-dependent diabetic patient, a newly diagnosed non-insulin-dependent diabetic, and two healthy adults while they drank devil's club tea. The limited data do not show any hypoglycemic effect of devil's club tea.