Ethno-medicinal anti-diabetics plants of Northeast India: A review

Abstract

With its large population, lifestyle and socio-economic transition due to urbanization, India is becoming the epicentre for diabetes. Diabetes is one of the leading reasons for world economic loss. Abnormal production of lipids and proteins and oxidative stress in the body are the primary etiology of diabetes. With the high cost of treatments and relatively large side effects, many patients are suffering. Utilizing and properly addressing herbal medicinal plants have thus become the need of the hour. Plants contain various compounds which are effective in increasing the performance of insulin secretion as well as reducing glucose levels in the human body. People of the northeast have been depending on herbal treatment for various diseases since time immemorial. Documenting and studying of ethnic expertise of medicinal plants of northeast India will be a new dimension in managing diabetes. This review aims to compile all published works from North East India on using various ethnomedicinal plants as antidiabetes.