Herbal drugs and phytoconstituents useful for the management of diabetes

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia because of impaired insulin action, diminished insulin production, increased hepatic glucose production, and oxidative stress. Chronic diabetes can cause other heath complications which affect arteries, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. There are multiple therapies available to treat diabetics, but total recovery from diabetes may not possible. In addition, allopathic drugs have some adverse effects such as renal impairments, mal-absorption, flatulence, diarrhea, and abdominal bloating. The anti-diabetic medicines from plants have a similar mechanism of action as allopathic drugs and negligible side effect with low cost. Anti-diabetic effects of herbals are attributed to their ability to restore the function of pancreatic tissues by causing an increase in insulin release or inhibit intestinal absorption of glucose or increase facilitation of metabolites in insulin-dependent processes. Various plants contain polyphenols, alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, polysaccharides, terpenoids, and steroids. These constituents represent a source for the discovery and development of new antidiabetic agents. In many developing countries, a wide number of populations believe on traditional herbal plants to meet primary health care needs. In the present review, authors have collected information about some medicinal plants and phytoconstituents that have been studied pre-clinically against diabetics, with special emphasis on the botanical source, common name, and mechanism of actions, which may open new arena for the development of antidiabetic herbal formulations.