Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease with a prevalence of 8.3% of the total population worldwide. One of the active compounds currently being developed to treat DM is curcumin. Curcumin is a compound obtained from the perennial plant of the zingiberaceae family containing the active compound of polyphenols and have potential as antitumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic compounds. Curcumin proved to have functional efficacy in hyperglycaemia, type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus, diabetic neuropathy, diabetic nephropathy and pancreatic beta cell dysfunction. At the molecular level, the function of curcumin involves several pathways including to the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB), PPARγ, and free fatty acids.