Introduction: Diabetes is a debilitating disease characterized by elevated blood glucose levels, which is rapidly r eaching endemic proportions throughout the world including Bangladesh. We had previously evaluated the antihyperglycemic potential of methanolic extract of aerial parts of Spilanthes calva and tubers of Colocasia esculenta. The objective of this study was to determine whether there is any synergistic antihyperglycemic activity between the methanolic extracts of the plant parts of the two plants.Methods: Antihyperglycemic activity and synergistic potential were determined through oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) in mice.Result: Administration of methanolic extract of aerial parts of S. calva (MESC) at a dose of 400 mg per kg body weight led to lowering of blood glucose levels in glucose-loaded mice in OGTT by 41.6%. At the same dose, methanolic extract of tubers of C. esculenta (MECE) lowered blood glucose levels by 25.1%. At doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg each of (MESC + MECE), blood glucose levels in mice were lowered, respectively, by 38.8, 43.0, and 49.5%. At the highest dose of the combination, the reductions in blood glucose were comparable to that of a standard antihyperglycemic drug, glibenclamide, which when administered at a dose of 10 mg per kg lowered blood glucose by 52.2%. Conclusion:Synergistic antihyperglycemic activity was observed between aerial parts of S. calva and tubers of C. esculenta in oral glucose tolerance tests. The combination has the potential to be a substitute for glibenclamide.

In oral glucose tolerance tests, methanol extract of boiled seeds of Cicer arietinum (MECA) significantly and dose-dependently reduced blood glucose levels in glucose-loaded mice by 27.7, 31.9, 36.2, and 42.2%, respectively, at doses of 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg per kg in comparison to a standard antihyperglycemic drug, glibenclamide, which reduced blood glucose levels by 48.2% at a dose of 10 mg per kg. In acetic acid induced writhing tests in mice, MECA at the afore-mentioned doses reduced the number of writhings, respectively, by 21.4, 35.7, 39.3, and 46.4% versus the 42.9 and 53.6% reductions observed with a standard analgesic drug, aspirin, at doses of 200 and 400 mg per kg, respectively. MECA thus demonstrated considerable antihyperglycemic and analgesic properties and may be used to alleviate high blood glucose levels and provide relief from pain.