© 2014, World of Researches Publication American Journal of Life Science Researches www.worldofresearches.com Am. J. Life. Sci. Res. Vol. 3, Issue 1, 91-99, 2015

REWIEV ARTICLE Received 14 Oct. 2014 Accepted 24 Dec. 2014

Traditional Phytotherapy and FOLK LORE REMEDIES Used TO Cure Diabetes Satyaendra K. Shrivastava*1, Dr. P.K. Dubey1, Dr. B. Shrivastava2, Dr. Pankaj 2 Sharma 1 .Swami Vivekanand College of Pharmacy, Khandwa Road, Indore (M.P), India 2. School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jaipur National University, Jaipur (Rajasthan).

*Corresponding Author: [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract: Use of as a source of medicine has been an ancient practice and is an important component of the health care system in India. The World Health Organization Expert Committee on diabetes has recommended that traditional medicinal herbs be further investigated. Thus, plants are a potential source of anti-diabetic drugs but this fact has not gained enough momentum in the scientific community. Plants used to treat diabetes are of considerable interest as they are recognizing to contain valuable medicinal properties in different parts of the species with desire properties. Several species of plant are used in the treatment of diabetes, a disease affecting large number of people worldwide. The present paper enumerates several species used in the treatment of diabetes.

Key words: Diabetes Mellitus, Herbs, Traditional Phytotherapy

INTRODUCTION India has a rich history of using various potent herbs and herbal components for treating diabetes. Herbs are staging a comeback and herbal ‘renaissance’ is happening all over the globe. Many Indian plants have been investigated for their beneficial use in different types of diabetes. Despite tremendous advances in medicine during the past century, there is still no cure, which means that effective prevention and treatment is of paramount importance to prevent future increase in disease burden. Plants have always been an exemplary source of drugs and many of the currently available drugs have been derived directly or indirectly from them. The herbal products today symbolize safety in contrast to the synthetics that are regarded as unsafe to human and environment. Although herbs had been priced for their medicinal, flavoring and aromatic qualities for centuries, the synthetic products of the modern age surpassed their importance, for a while. However, the blind dependence on synthetics is over and people are returning to the naturals with hope of safety and security1-2. Diabetes mellitus (DM), commonly referred to as diabetes, is a group of

Jan, 2015 91 Satyaendra et al., 2015 metabolic diseases in which there are high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period. Symptoms of high blood sugar include frequent urination, increased thirst, and increased hunger. If left untreated, diabetes can cause many complications. Acute complications include diabetic ketoacidosis and non-ketotic hyperosmolar coma. Serious long-term complications include cardiovascular disease, stroke, kidney failure, foot ulcers and damage to the eyes. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough insulin or the cells of the body not responding properly to the insulin produced3-5. There are three main types of diabetes mellitus:  Type 1 DM results from the body's failure to produce enough insulin. This form was previously referred to as "insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus" (IDDM) or "juvenile diabetes". The cause is unknown.  Type 2 DM begins with insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to respond to insulin properly. As the disease progresses a lack of insulin may also develop. This form was previously referred to as "non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus" (NIDDM) or "adult-onset diabetes". The primary cause is excessive body weight and not enough exercise.  Gestational diabetes is the third main form and occurs when pregnant women without a previous history of diabetes develop a high blood glucose level. Prevention and treatment involves a healthy diet, physical exercise, not using tobacco and being a normal body weight. Blood pressure control and proper foot care are also important for people with the disease. Type 1 diabetes must be managed with insulin injections. Type 2 diabetes may be treated with medications with or without insulin. Insulin and some oral medications can cause low blood sugar. Weight loss surgery in those with obesity is an effective measure in those with type 2 DM. Gestational diabetes usually resolves after the birth of the baby6-7. Diabetes disease information has already been recorded to some extent by the earlier workers8-11. The present paper deals with traditional phytotherapy and folklore remedies for diabetes. The method of preparation and doses of administration of plant medicinal as suggested by the herbalists are recorded and reported in the present study. Enumerations The present study revealed the following herbs used in the treatment of diabetes. For proper and order study the botanical name, common name, part used, modes of use along with some description of the each species were present below: Abelmoschus esculentus well (Malvaceae), Bhindi, Fruit, Two vertically dissected fresh fruit are soaked overnight in ½ glass cold water and that leech ate water is taken every morning. It is also known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers, bhindi, bamia, ochro or gumbo, is a in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of West African, Ethiopian, and South Asian origins. The plant is cultivated in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate

January 2015 92 Traditional Phytotherapy and FOLK LORE REMEDIES Used TO Cure Diabetes regions around the world12. Abrus precatorius L.(Fabaceae), Ratti, Leaves, Juice twice a 25 day. It is a legume with long, pinnate-leafleted leaves. The plant is best known for its seeds, which are used as beads and in percussion instruments, and which are toxic due to the presence of Abrin. The plant is native to India and grows in tropical and subtropical areas of the world where it has been introduced. It has a tendency to become weedy and invasive where it has been introduced13-14. Aegle marmelos Corr. (Rutaceae), Beal, Leaves, One gram gum is eaten along with betleafe once daily. It is commonly known as bael, bengal quince, golden apple, stone apple, wood apple, bili, is a species of tree native to India. It is present throughout Southeast Asia as a naturalized species. The tree is considered to be sacred by Hindus. Its fruits are used in traditional medicine and as a food throughout its range15. Allium cepa (L.) (Liliaceae), Pyaz, Bulb, Use of raw vegetable along with rice. The onion also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is used as a vegetable and is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. This genus also contains several other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion (A. fistulosum), the Egyptian onion (A. proliferum), and the Canada onion (A. canadense). The name "wild onion" is applied to a number of Allium species but A. cepa is exclusively known from cultivation and its ancestral wild original form is not known, although escapes from cultivation have become established in some regions. The onion is most frequently a biennial or a perennial plant, but is usually treated as an annual and harvested in its first growing season16. Allium satvium (L.) (Liliaceae), Garlic, Bulb, A raw bulbet are eaten once daily. It is commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. With a history of human use of over 7,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent seasoning in Asia, Africa, and Europe. It was known to Ancient Egyptians, and has been used for both culinary and medicinal purpose17-18. Annona squmosa L. Sita (Annonaceae), Sitaphal, Fruits and Leaves, Powder with water daily in the morning. It is a small, well-branched tree or shrub from the family Annonaceae that bears edible fruits called sugar-apples. It tolerates a tropical lowland climate better than its relatives Annona reticulata and Annona cherimola (whose fruits often share the same name) helping make it the most widely cultivated of these species19. Argyeia nervosa (Burm. F.) Boj. (), Samdar kapat, Leaves, Pills made from the leaf past is given to diabetes patients for a long times. It is a perennial climbing vine that is native to the Indian subcontinent and introduced to numerous areas worldwide, including Hawaii, Africa and the Caribbean. Though it can be invasive, it is often prized for its aesthetic value. There are two botanical varieties: Argyrea nervosa var. nervosa described here, and Argyrea nervosa var. speciosa, a species used in ayurvedic medicine, but with little to Satyaendra et al., 2015 no psychoactive value20. Butea monosperma (Lamk) Taub (Fabaceae), Palas, Leaves, Aqueous extract of leaves and fruit is given 2 tea spoon full once day for diabetes for a long times. It is a species of Butea native to tropical and sub-tropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, ranging across India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and western Indonesia. Common names include Palash, Dhak, Palah, Flame of the Forest, Bastard Teak, Parrot Tree, Keshu (Punjabi) and Kesudo (Gujurati). It is a medium sized dry season-deciduous tree, growing to 15 m tall. It is a slow growing tree, young trees have a growth rate of a few feet per year. The leaves are pinnate, with an 8–16 cm petiole and three leaflets, each leaflet 10–20 cm long. The flowers are 2.5 cm long, bright orange-red, and produced in racemes up to 15 cm long. The fruit is a pod 15–20 cm long and 4–5 cm broad21. Bougain villea spectabilis (Willd) (Nyctaginaceae), Bogainvilla, Leaves, Paste made into pills twice per day for 25 days. It is grows as a woody vine or shrub, reaching 15 to 40 feet (4.6 to 12.2 m) with heart-shaped leaves and thorny, pubescent stems, it's flowers vary in color, ranging from white, red, mauve, purple-red, or orange. Its fruit is a small, inconspicuous, dry, elongated achene22- 23. Cassia fistula (L.) (Caesalpiniaceae), Amaltas, Bark, Fruit pulp is given for diabetes. It is known as the golden shower tree and by other names, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. The species is native to the Indian subcontinent and adjacent regions of Southeast Asia. It ranges from southern Pakistan eastward throughout India to Myanmar and Thailand and south to Sri Lanka. In literature, it is closely associated with the Mullai (forest) region of Sangam landscape. It is the national tree of Thailand, and its flower is Thailand's national flower. It is also the state flower of Kerala in India and of immense importance amongst the Malayali population. It is a popular ornamental plant and is also used in herbal medicine24. Cassia tora L. (Caesalpiniaceae), Chakora, Leaves, Leaf juice for 20 days. It is a dicot legume known as sickle senna, sickle pod, tora, coffee pod, tovara, chakvad and foetid cassia. It is mostly found in South-East Asia and the South West Pacific as an important weed. It is considered a wild weed, wild peanut or pistache that has many healing benefits. The plant is an herbaceous annual foetid herb. The plant can grow 30-90 centimeters high and consists of alternative pinnate leaves with leaflets mostly with three opposite pairs that are obovate in shape with a rounded tip. The leaves grow up to 3 to 4.5 cm long. The stems have distinct smelling foliage when young. The flowers are in pairs in axils of leaves with five petals and pale yellow in colour. Cassia tora yellow flowers occur in pairs with stamens of unequal length producing pods that are somewhat flattened or four angled, 10–15 cm long and sickle shaped, hence the common name sickle pod. There are 30-50 seeds within a pod. The seed, roots and leaves from this plant has been shown to be very beneficial to the modern system of herbal

January 2015 94 Traditional Phytotherapy and FOLK LORE REMEDIES Used TO Cure Diabetes medicines25. Clitoria ternatea (L.) (Fabaceae), Aparajita, Flower, The flower juice is given for controlling diabetes. Its common names including butterfly pea, blue pea, Cordofan pea and Asian pigeonwings, is a plant species belonging to the Fabaceae family. The flowers of this vine have the shape of human female genitals, hence the Latin name of the genus "Clitoria", from "clitoris". (Synonyms: Clitoris principissae.). It is a perennial herbaceous plant, with elliptic, obtuse leaves. It grows as a vine or creeper, doing well in moist, neutral soil. The most striking feature about this plant are its vivid deep blue flowers; solitary, with light yellow markings. They are about 4 cm long by 3 cm wide. There are some varieties that yield white flowers. The fruits are 5 – 7 cm long, flat pods with 6 to 10 seeds in each pod26-28. Emblica officinalis (Euphorbiaceae), Amla, Dry fruits, Powder on tea spoon ful with milk twice per day. It is known for its edible fruit of the same name. The tree is small to medium in size, reaching 8 to 18 m in height, with a crooked trunk and spreading branches. The branchlets are glabrous or finely pubescent, 10–20 cm long, usually deciduous; the leaves are simple, subsessile and closely set along branchlets, light green, resembling pinnate leaves. The flowers are greenish- yellow. The fruit is nearly spherical, light greenish yellow, quite smooth and hard on appearance, with six vertical stripes or furrows29-30. Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) schult (Asclepidaceae), Gudmar, Leaves, Climer, Leaves juice and powder is taken orally. It is an herb native to the tropical forests of southern and central India and Sri Lanka. Chewing the leaves suppresses the sensation of sweet. This effect is attributed to the eponymous gymnemic acids. G. sylvestre has been used in herbal medicine as a treatment for diabetes for nearly two millennia, and though there is insufficient scientific evidence to draw definitive conclusions about its efficacy two small clinical trials have shown gymnema to reduce glycosylated hemoglobin levels31-32. Himidesmus indica (L.) R. Br. (Asclepiasaceae), Anantmul, Roots, Aqueous extract of the roots one table spoon full is given for 9 day for the treatment of diabetes. It is a species of plant that is found in South Asia. It is a slender, laticiferous, twining, sometimes prostrate or semi-erect shrub. Roots are woody and aromatic. The stem is numerous, slender, terete, thickened at the nodes. The leaves are opposite, short-petioled, very variable, elliptic-oblong to linear-lanceolate. The flowers are greenish outside, purplish inside, crowded in sub-sessile axillary cymes. It is occurs over the greater part of India, from the upper Gangetic plain eastwards to Assam and in some places in central, western and South India33. mauritiana Jacq. (Convolvalaceae), Bhuikumra, Roots, About ½ cup fresh root extract is taken once daily. The giant potato (Ipomoea mauritiana) is a type of plant. Like the , it belongs to the Ipomoea genus. It grows as a vine. Its origins are uncertain, but it has been recorded in West Africa, including in Gambia and the riparian forests of , as well as Australia's Northern Territory34. Satyaendra et al., 2015

Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae), Karela, Fruits, Bitter gourd if eaten daily there will be no choice of diabetes. It is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit, which is extremely bitter. Its many varieties differ substantially in the shape and bitterness of the fruit. Bitter melon originated on the Indian subcontinent, and was introduced into China in the 14th century35-36. Syzgium cumini L. (Myrtaceae), Jamun, Seed, One tea spoon full of seed powder is given twice daily. It is native to Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia The name of the fruit is sometimes mistranslated as blackberry, which is a different fruit in an unrelated family. The tree was introduced to Florida, USA in 1911 by the USDA, and is also now commonly grown in Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. In Brazil, where it was introduced from India during Portuguese colonization, it has dispersed spontaneously in the wild in some places, as its fruits are eagerly sought by various native birds such as thrushes, tanagers and the Great Kiskadee. This species is considered an invasive in Hawaii, USA. It is also illegal to grow plant or transplant in Sanibel, Florida37. Terminalia arjuna (Roxb. ex. DC.), Arjun, Stem bark, Extract is used in biosweets for reducing blood slugger. It is a tree of the genus Terminalia. It is commonly known as arjuna or arjun tree in English, Thella Maddi in Telugu and Marudha Maram in Tamil. The arjuna is about 20–25 metres tall; usually has a buttressed trunk, and forms a wide canopy at the crown, from which branches drop downwards. It has oblong, conical leaves which are green on the top and brown below; smooth, grey bark; it has pale yellow flowers which appear between March and June; its glabrous, 2.5 to 5 cm fibrous woody fruit, divided into five wings, appears between September and November38. Trigonella-foenum-graceum (L.) (Papilioaceae), Methi, Seeds, Soaked the 5 gm. Seed overnight drunk ½ cup water once daily. It is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae, with leaves consisting of three small obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semiarid crop, and its seeds are a common ingredient in dishes from the Indian Subcontinent. Fenugreek is believed to have been brought into cultivation in the Near East39.

Conclusion Diabetes is a disorder of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism caused due to insufficient production of insulin or due to its inhibitory action, which can be considered as a major cause of high economic loss which can in turn impede the development of nations. Before there were drugs from drug companies, natural cures were used and they can still be used today. There are many herbs with strong anti-diabetic properties. Herbal treatments for diabetes have been used in patients with insulin dependent and non-insulin dependent diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy etc. As a result of extensive literature study total 21 species as enumerated above belonging to different genera and families, which are used in diabetes disease, were recorded and the plant part

January 2015 96 Traditional Phytotherapy and FOLK LORE REMEDIES Used TO Cure Diabetes used in diabetes in different species were also listed. For more ordered report the mode of usage were along given in the present communications. In this review many plants are included which have shown antidiabetic action through release of insulin and some extra pancreatic mechanisms. Plants such as Allium cepa, Emblica officinalis, Momordica charantia, Gymnema sylvestre and Syzygium cumini have a great antidiabetic potential, which have already been subjected to the clinical trial are included in the list, whereas some marketed herbal formulations (diasulin, pancreatic tonic 180 cp, chakrapani, diabecon, bitter gourd powder, dia-car, diabetes-daily care, gurmar powder, epinsulin, diabecure, syndrex, diabeta) which have been proved for its antidiabetic activity. In conclusion, this paper has presented a list of antidiabetic plants used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. It showed that these plants have hypoglycemic effects and can be used to treat various types of secondary complications of diabetes mellitus. Plants have been a good source of medicine for the treatment of various type of disease, still many plants and active compounds obtained from plants have not been well characterized. More investigations must be carried out to evaluate the exact mechanism of action of medicinal plants with antidiabetic activity.

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