Antidiabetic botanical extracts.

Abstract

Plants have been used in the cure of diseases from the origins of humanity. It is commonly thought that traditionally used medicinal plants have already been tested and ratified because they have been considered effective medicines for so long and continue to be used as such with no or few side effects, and therefore are not in need of scientific evaluation. However, World Health Organization (WHO) specialists recommend that the traditional methods should be better investigated. To test medicinal plants, it is necessary to consider the quality of the material to be tested, the plant component used, the extraction method, dose and experimental species used. This chapter aims to present plants that are popularly used for the control of hyperglycaemia and that have already had hypoglycaemic effects proven in humans. In addition, this chapter presents the mechanisms of action of these plants to decrease blood glucose.

Effect of Bauhinia holophylla treatment in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

“…Streptozotocin is known to reproduce the severe diabetes (glycemia above 300 mg/dL), and the plant extract could be more efficient treating individuals with a moderate diabetes (glycemia between 120 and 300 mg/dL). Previous studies testing plant extracts confirmed that animals with severe diabetes also presented no antidiabetic effect (Volpato et al 2007(Volpato et al , 2008(Volpato et al , 2011. The body weight loss represents one of the most common signs of diabetes.…”

“…Moreover, plants have been used as an alternative therapy for the diabetes treatment. Many plants present hypoglycemic activity, which were demonstrated experimentally in animals and humans, but some still require further investigation (Volpato et al 2002, Damasceno andVolpato 2008). Although several plants were tested for diabetes treatment, many of them were not evaluated, including species of the genus Bauhinia, popularly known as "cow's hoof" (Lorenzi and Matos 2002).…”

Treatment with Azadirachta indica in diabetic pregnant rats: Negative effects on maternal outcome

“…Several herbal components (Damasceno and Volpato, 2008) and drugs (Cooppan, 2005;Davidson, 2001) have been used in an attempt to control diabetes and attenuate its complications during pregnancy in both women and experimental animals. Azadirachta indica A. Juss (Meliaceae), commonly called neem, is a tree native to India and Bhurma renowned for its medicinal properties.…”

Effect of Morus nigra aqueous extract treatment on the maternal–fetal outcome, oxidative stress status and lipid profile of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

“…From ancient times, plants have been used for treatment of Diabetes mellitus Damasceno and Volpato, 2008). The use of medicinal plants as alternative therapy is widely spread in the populations of underdeveloped countries, which have limited access to medical assistance.…”