Treating pre-diabetes with Chinese herbal teas, powders and pills is believed by many across the world to prevent the development of the disease itself. But researchers at the Cochrane Institute say more clinical trials are needed to fully determine the effectiveness of these alternative treatments.

Scientists studied data on 15 different herbal formulations gathered from 16 separate clinical trials. They said that combining herbal medicines with lifestyle changes is twice as effective as lifestyle changes alone at normalizing patients’ blood sugar levels.

In addition, those given the herbal formulations were less likely to develop full-blown diabetes during the study period.

"Our results suggest that some Chinese herbal medicines can help to prevent diabetes, but we really need more research before we can confidently say that these treatments work," said lead researcher Suzanne Grant.

Other natural remedies for treating pre-diabetes include proper diet, weight loss and exercise.

According to the Mayo Clinic, alternative therapies including beta glucans, bitter melon, cassia cinnamon, ginseng, gymnema and stevia are believed to prevent the disease.