Medicinal Plants Used for the Traditional Management of Diabetes in the Eastern Cape, South Africa: Pharmacology and Toxicology

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants for the management of diabetes mellitus is on the rise in the developing countries, including South Africa. There is increasing scientific evidence that supports the claims by the traditional healers. In this review, we compare the families of previously reported anti-diabetic plants in the Eastern Cape by rating the anti-diabetic activity, mode of action and also highlight their therapeutic potentials based on the available evidence on their pharmacology and toxicity. Forty-five plants mentioned in ethnobotanical surveys were subjected to a comprehensive literature search in the available electronic databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar and Elsevier, by using “plant name” and “family” as the keywords for the primary searches to determine the plants that have been scientifically investigated for anti-diabetic activity. The search returned 25 families with Asteraceae highly reported, followed by Asphodelaceae and Alliaceae. Most of the plants have been studied for their anti-diabetic potentials in vivo and/or in vitro, with most of the plants having a higher percentage of insulin release and inhibition against carbohydrate digesting enzymes as compared with insulin mimetic and peripheral glucose uptake. Almost all the investigated plants also inhibit oxidative stress as part of their hypoglycemic activity with less toxicity. However, the isolation of their bioactive molecules is still lacking. This review provides a resource to enable thorough assessments of the therapeutic profiles of available medicinal plants used for the management of diabetes in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Further studies such as the identification of the active ingredients of potent plants still need to be carried out; this may lead to new molecules in drug discovery and development.

African Traditional Medicine: South African Perspective

“…These plants are used as ATM by communities for conditions, mainly diabetes mellitus, hypertension, HIV infection and others. They also form part of the list of potent medicinal plants and those with potential to be developed into commercial products [59][60][61][62][63][64].…”

“…As an example, some of the plants used for diabetes mellitus, such as Aloe ferox, have also been investigated scientifically for anti-diabetic properties. The leaf, as well as the sap from the leaf, of Aloe ferox is commonly used in ATM, and in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that it has insulin-increasing activity which may be the mechanism by which it reverses hyperglycaemia [59,62,97,98]. Ubulawu, a traditional medicine prepared from roots of Silene bellidioides and stem of Helinus integrifolius, is used to cleanse the body and the mind.…”

Effect of simulated microgravity on the antidiabetic properties of wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

“…10 In traditional medicine, medicinal plants are used for the treatment of diabetes; these plants are a rich source of hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, and antioxidant agents, such as phenols, flavonoids, gallotannins, and other related polyphenols. 11,12 Wheatgrass (T. aestivum germinated over a period of 6-10 days) was found to improve metabolic and lipid profiles 13 and to restore the levels of plasma glucose, insulin, and liver glycogen. 14,15 The nutrient value of germinated grains depends on the conditions in which they are grown.…”

Use of Bauhinia forficata Link infusion in the treatment of diabetes mellitus

“…Currently, the increase in the prevalence of diabetes in the population has been increasing, therefore, the use of medicinal plants has stood out in this area, with a large investment in studies for the characterization of chemical substances derived from plant species in order to investigate the mechanisms of action of these compounds in comparison with synthetic drugs (Odeyemi & Bradley, 2018).…”