Role of medicinal plants in the management of diabetes mellitus: a review

Abstract

Medicinal plants have a vast potential in the treatment of various ailments due to the presence of therapeutically important phytochemicals. Diabetes is a serious metabolic disorder and several marketed medications are available to alleviate the symptoms of diabetes. However, these over the counter drugs are expensive and associated with several complications. Herbal medicines are gaining importance as they are cost-effective and also display improved therapeutic effects with lesser side effects. The present review includes the reports available on medicinal plants used for treating diabetes complications. The aim of the review is to categorize and summarize the available information on medicinal plants with anti-diabetic properties and suggesting outlooks for future research. A systematic search was performed on medicinal plants with anti-diabetic properties using several search engines such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct and other online journals and books. All the plants listed in this review are native to Asian countries and are routinely used by the traditional practitioners for the treatment of various ailments. Based on the literature data available, a total of 81 medicinal plants with anti-diabetic, anti-hyperglycemic, hypoglycemic, anti-lipidemic and insulin mimetic properties have been compiled in this review. This review provides useful information about the different medicinal plants for treating diabetes-associated complications. Further research can be carried out to study the active constituents and mechanism of these plants.

Antidiabetic Potential of Medicinal Plants and Their Active Components

“…Ríos et al [48] described medicinal plants (i.e., aloe, banaba, bitter melon, caper, cinnamon, cocoa, coffee, fenugreek, garlic, guava, gymnema, nettle, sage, soybean, green and black tea, turmeric, walnut, and yerba mate) used for treating diabetes and its comorbidities and the mechanisms of natural products as antidiabetic agents, with attention to compounds of high interest such as fukugetin, palmatine, berberine, honokiol, amorfrutins, trigonelline, gymnemic acids, gurmarin, and phlorizin. The current review of Bindu and Narendhirakannan [49] has categorized and described from literature 81 plants native to Asian countries with antidiabetic, antihyperglycemic, hypoglycemic, anti-lipidemic, and insulin-mimetic properties.…”

Identification of Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 and α-Amylase Inhibitors from Melicope glabra (Blume) T. G. Hartley (Rutaceae) Using Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry, In Vitro and In Silico Methods

“…Dietary plants were reported to act on diverse targets of metabolic maladies through different mechanisms and modes intended for distinctive therapeutic effects in the disease and/or its complications. The literature has reported many plants with therapeutic properties and Rutaceae plants are one of the medicinal plants with widely described bioactivities, including antidiabetic [1], antibacterial [2], anticancer [3], and anti-inflammatory activities [4]. Melicope glabra (Blume) T. G. Hartley, a plant belonging to Rutaceae, is among the significant sources of flavonoids and coumarins [5,6].…”

Investigating the Effect of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Descurainia sophia(L.) Webb ex Prantl on Blood Glucose, Biochemistry Parameters, Fatty Profile, and Serology Factor in Diabetic Male Rats

“…When these herbs are consumed as an extract taken from different parts of a plant, their therapeutic role is enhanced. The plant extracts can play different therapeutic roles in various diseases (19,20). The results of this study show that the hydroalcoholic extract of D. sophia significantly reduces blood glucose.…”