A review on common Indian medicinal plants with anti-diabetic activities.
Dineshkumar B., Analava Mitra, Manjunatha M.
Author Affiliation: School of Medical Science and Technology, IIT Kharagpur - 721 302, West Bengal, India.
Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Sciences 31 : 152-158
Abstract : This review summarizes the anti-diabetic activity of common Indian plants reputed in the indigenous system of medicine or in which the pharmacological activity has been scientifically demonstrated. Common Indian plants like: Azadirachta indica, Brassica juncea, Citrullus colocynthis, Eugenia uniflora, Gymnema sylvestre, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Momordica charantia, Mangifera indica, Murraya koenigii, Ocimum sanctum, Picrorrhiza kurroa, Pterocarpus marsupium, Syzygium cumini, Swerlia chirayita and Trigonella foenum-graecum have been reviewed. It was observed that the crude extracts or active principles have different mechanisms of actions to elucidate the anti-diabetic effects. These may act on ?-cells of the pancreas and stimulate the secretion of insulin, inhibits ?-cells for the release of hyperglycemic factors, enhance the effect of insulin, defer the process of digestion and consequent glucose release, assist in inhibiting the synthesis of glucose-6-phosphate phosphatase, fructose diphosphatase, pyruvate carboxylase or phosphoenol pyruvate carboxykinase and stimulate the synthesis of glucokinase. All common Indian plants, as specified, have shown different degrees of anti-diabetic activity.