Impact of herbal medicine use on HbA1c levels among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in northwest Ethiopia

Among adults living with type 2 diabetes in northwest Ethiopia, more than half reported using herbal medicines to manage their condition — and those who did were significantly less likely to have their blood sugar under control. The study measured glycemic control using HbA1c, a blood test that reflects average blood sugar over roughly three months. A reading below 7% is considered good control. Moringa oleifera was the most commonly used herb, reported by nearly two-thirds of herbal medicine users, followed by fenugreek and garlic. When researchers accounted for other factors using statistical modelling, herbal medicine users were nearly four times less likely to achieve good glycemic control compared to non-users. This finding matters because it suggests that herbal medicine use — rather than complementing conventional diabetes treatment — may be associated with worse outcomes, possibly because patients substitute or reduce their prescribed medications in favour of plant-based remedies. The study was conducted across 420 adults attending diabetes clinics in northwest Ethiopia between January and June 2025. Other strong predictors of good control included living in an urban area, having diabetes for fewer than five years, and having no additional health conditions. The results highlight a real tension between traditional medicine practices and evidence-based diabetes management in this region, and point to the need for healthcare providers to ask patients directly about herbal use rather than assuming it is harmless or irrelevant to clinical outcomes.