Background:
Murraya koenigii (L.) Spreng. (family: Rutaceae), commonly known as curry leaf or
sweet neem, is a tropical plant native to India and Southeast Asia. It is highly valued in Ayurveda for its medicinal
properties. Almost every part (fresh leaves, fruits, bark, and roots) of this plant is used to treat various
ailments. Its fresh leaves are considered to have numerous medicinal properties for various diseases, including
piles, inflammation, itching, fresh cuts, dysentery, and edema. A combination of curry leaf and buttermilk is
used to treat diseases, such as amoebiasis, diabetes, and hepatitis. Its leaves are also believed to possess antioxidant,
anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. The bark has been traditionally used for treating
snakebites. Its roots are utilized in Ayurveda for the treatment of body aches. Being a storehouse of carbazole
alkaloids, M. koenigii has been reported to show anti-obesity and anti-diabetic activity in in vitro and in vivo
studies. The review aimed to appraise the role of M. koenigii leaf in the prevention of diabesity.
Methods:
We performed a literature search with the keywords “diabesity”, “obesity”, “diabetes”, “adipose
tissue”, and “carbazole alkaloids” on Google Scholar, PubMed, and ScienceDirect databases. Several in vitro
and in vivo studies conducted on cell lines and animals for anti-diabetic/anti-hyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic
activities have been included and appraised in the article, providing supporting evidence for
the ethnomedicinal claims.
Results and Conclusion:
This review has been an attempt to summarize comprehensively the overall research
done on M. koenigii with regard to obesity and diabetes. The studies on anti-diabetic/anti-hyperglycemic and
anti-hyperlipidemic activities of the plant have ranged from studies on crude extracts to isolated compounds.
However, some of the studies require further in-depth analysis and validation of obtained results.