Diabetes mellitus and medicinal plants-a review

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders sharing the common underlying feature of hyperglycemia. Along with hyperglycemia, diabetes is associated with micro and macro-vascular complications, which are the major causes of morbidity and death in diabetic subjects. The currently available antidiabetic agents include sulfonylureas, biguanides, thiazolidinediones and alpha glucosidase inhibitors and are widely used to control the hyperglycemia. These drugs fail significantly to alter the course of diabetic complications. They have limited use because of undesirable pathological conditions and high rates of secondary failure. Thus, it is essential to look for more effective antidiabetic agents with fewer side effects. Traditional medicinal plants having antidiabetic properties can be a useful source for the development of safer and effective oral hypoglycemic agents. More than 350 traditional plants are used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, which have been recorded. Only a small number of these have received scientific and medical evaluation to assess their efficacy. However, plant remedies are the mainstream of treatment in underdeveloped regions. This review focuses on diabetes mellitus and the role of plants in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.