International Journal of Phytomedicine 8 (2016) 139-175 http://www.arjournals.org/index.php/ijpm/index Review Article ISSN: 0975-0185 A Detailed Overview of Medicinal Plants Having Hypoglycemic Activity Sandra Celine1, Shawn Tomy1, Ujwala TK1, Sam Johnson1, Udaya Chander J1* *Corresponding author: A b s t r a c t Diabetes mellitus represents a spectrum of metabolic disorder, which has become one of the Udaya Chander major public health concerns worldwide. Diabetes mellitus has emerged as a third leading killer after cancer and cardiovascular/cerebrovascular diseases and India has a distinction of having 1Pharm D Intern, RVS College of largest number of diabetics in world second to China. Herbal medicine for treating chronic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Coimbatore, Tamil diseases, especially diabetes has gained an exponential growth in the last few years and both Nadu, India developing and developed countries are adopting herbal drugs for treatment of diabetes mellitus. The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed 21,000 plants, which are used for medicinal purposes around the world. The WHO has defined herbal medicines as finished labelled medicinal products that contain aerial or underground parts of the plants or other plant material or combination thereof as active ingredients, whether in crude state or as plant preparations. This review attempts to present the profiles of plants with hypoglycemic properties, reported in the literature with proper categorization according to the botanical name, family, parts used, chemical constituents, and its other uses. Relevant medical databases and websites were searched. To qualify for inclusion, the herbs should have confirmed hypoglycemic potential. Other criteria for inclusion are: published in English and peer-reviewed journals. We also used related keywords like diabetes mellitus, plant, herb, glycemic control, natural or herbal medicine, Ayurvedic plants, and hypoglycemic plants, as keywords or combination of them. A total of 151 herbs belonging to 72 families were outlined in this review. Keywords: diabetes mellitus, glycemic control, medicinal plants, antidiabetic, hypoglycemic. Introduction diabetes, reactive oxygen species (ROS) were generated, which in Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common endocrine metabolic turn cause lipid peroxidation and membrane damage and these disorders, which has caused significant morbidity and mortality due free radicals play an critical role in the development of secondary to various microvascular and macrovascular complications [1]. complications of diabetes mellitus (kidney, eye, blood vessel, and Diabetes has become the third “killer” of the health of mankind nerve damage) [7,8]. The destruction of beta cells is prevented by along with cancer, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular antioxidants by inhibiting the peroxidation chain reaction and thus, diseases[2]. Asia is one of the regions that have high prevalence of in turn, prevents the development of diabetes. Natural antioxidants diabetes and is estimated that 20% of current global diabetic are present in almost all plants (tannins, flavonoids, vitamins C and population resides in South East Asia region. India is a country with E, etc.) that can maintain beta cell function and prevent diabetes- largest number of diabetic population, indeed the number of people induced ROS formation [9,10]. Moreover, easy availability, raw with diabetes in India is likely to double in less than two decades consumption, least side effects and low cost makes the herbal from 39.9 million (in 2007) to 69.9 million by 2025[3,4]. Therapies drugs and preparations the king of all available therapies. currently available for diabetes include insulin and various oral Therefore, the current review focuses on traditional medicinal antidiabetic agents such as sulfonylureas, biguanides and glinides plants spread around the globe having antidiabetic potential with [5]. Most of them exhibit serious adverse effects. Therefore, the special emphasis to phytochemical constituents present in each search for more effective and safer alternate for treatment of herb. diabetes is one of the most important areas of Investigation [6]. In This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Celine et al. International Journal of Phytomedicine 8 (2) 139-175 [2016] Methodology traditionally used in diabetes management with the potential for Ethnobotonical information was obtained from a literature search of integration into the healthcare system, not all identified plants were electronic databases such as EMBASE and Scopus from Elsevier, included in this study. Only those with more than one reference to Medline from PubMed, and Google Scholar up to year 2014 for use in diabetes management and experimental evidence in one or publications on medicinal plants used in diabetes management more diabetes experimental models validating its activity were using keywords diabetes mellitus, plant, herb, glycemic control, retained. This review is therefore not exhaustive of all the plants natural or herbal medicine, Ayurvedic plants, and hypoglycemic used traditionally for diabetes management throughout the globe. plants. In addition, experts in the field were contacted to select The detailed overview of medicinal plants having hypoglycemic studies that meet the criteria, and we also looked up references of activity is listed in Table 1 below. key articles. The authors read the articles in full and extracted the data in a standardized fashion. In order to highlight medicinal plants Table 1: List of Hypoglycemic plants BOTANICAL/ PART S.No FAMILY CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS INDICATIONS COMMON NAME USED Blighia sapida Hypoglycin A (HGA), hypoglycin B (HGB). α- Hypoglycemic [12], dysentery, and 1 Common name – Sapindaceae amino β (2methylene cyclopropyl) propionic ophthalmic conjunctivitis. Root Akeeapple acid, cyclopropanoid [11]. Coccinia indica Cucurbitaceae Saponins, flavonoids, sterols ,alkaloids, Hypoglycemic [14], antioxidant 2 Common name- Leaves amino acids [13]. [15], antibacterial. [16] Kunduru Mucilaginous substances,asparagines saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, hexoses, nalkane mixtures (C), alkanol , β-sitosterol, vanillic acid, p-coumaric acid,caffeic acid, Wound healing [18], Hypoglycemic fumaric acid, Abutilon A, (R)-N Abutilon indicum [19], Hepatoprotective [20], Anti- Malvaceae (1’methoxycarbonyl-2’phenylethyl)-4- 3 Common name- inflammatory, Anthelmintic, Leaves hydroxybenzamide, phydroxybenzoic, Indian mallow Hyperlipidemic activity [21]. galacturonic, p- β-D-glycosyloxybenzoic and Analgesic [22]. amino acids, essential oil (a-pinene, caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, endesmol, farnesol, borenol, geraniol, geranyl acetate, elemene and a-cineole) [17]. Antihypertensive and Tannins, gum, proanthocynidins , saponins, antispasmodic [24], antioxidant Acacia arabica Fabaceae or phenolic ,Pod phenolic ,∝- Spinasterol, [25], antidiabetic, eye complaints, 4 Common name- Bark Leguminosea Tryptopham contents (total proteins, diahorea, dysentry, wounds, India Gum albumins, globulins) [23]. ulcers, asthma, urinary problems [26]. Catechin, catechutannic acid, epicatechin, Acacia catechu Antidiarhoeal, leprosy, dysentry, Leguminose catechin tetramer, dicatechin, gallocatechin, Common name- rheumatism, cancer, asthma [26], 5 ae kaempferol, taxifolin, isorhamnetin, (+) Bark NA hypoglycaemic [28], afzelechinn, L‐arabinose, D‐galactose, Kattha hepatoprotective [30]. D‐rhamnose and aldobiuronic acid [27]. Actinodaphne hookeri Triterpenoids, steroids, alkaloids, Hypoglycemic [31], antioxident, Lauraceae 6 Common name- carbohydrates, glycosides, flavonoids, hepatoprotective [30]. Leaves Pisa tannins [30]. Adiantum caudalum Adiyantaceae Isoadiantone, ferene, hentriacontane,16- Antitussive [33], antibacterial, 7 Leaves Common name- hentriacontanone [32]. antidiabetic, antipyretic, and PAGE | 140 | Celine et al. International Journal of Phytomedicine 8 (2) 139-175 [2016] Mayur anticancer [34]. Skimmianine, Aegeline, Lupeol, Cineol, Hepatoprotective [36], antidiabetic, Aegle marmelos Citral, Citronella, Cuminaldehyde, Eugenol, dyspepsia, stomachalgia, gastric Rutaceae Marmesinine, Skimmianine, Fagarine, irritability, digestive, laxative, anti- 8 Common name- Leaves Marmin, Marmelosin, Luvangetin, Aurapten, ulcer, antistress and adaptogenic Bael Psoralen, Marmelide, Tannin [35]. [37], radioprotective [38]. Aloe-emodin, aloetic-acid, anthranol, barbaloin, isobarbaloin , emodin, ester of cinnamic acid, Pure mannan, acetylated mannan, acetylated glucomannan, glucogalactomannan, galactan, Aloe vera galactogalacturan, arabinogalactan, Antidiabetic, immuno stimulant, Liliaceae or galactoglucoarabinomannan, pectic anti-inflammatory, antiviral, Asphodelacea 9 Common name- substance, xylan, cellulose, 8-C-glusoly-(2'- antitumor, antidiabetic, anti-HIV, Aloe gel e Gwarpattha O-cinnamoly)-7-O-methlyaloediolA, 8-C- anticancerous [40]. glucosyl-(S)-aloesol, 8-Cglucosyl-7-O- methylaloediolA, 8-C-glucosyl-7-0- methylaloediol, 8-C-glucosyl-noreugenin, isoaloeresin D, isorabaichromone, neoalosin A [39]. Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, Steroidal saponins, folic acid, essential oils, antidiabetic, immunomodulatory, Asparagus asparagine, arginine, tyrosine, flavonoids, anticarcinogenic [42], antimicrobial, racemosus resin, tannin, sarsasapogenin , shatavarin I- diuretic, antiulcerogenic, Liliaceae IV, asparagamine, racemosol, kaempferol, Whole 10 hypolipidemic, adaptogenic, Common name- quercetin, rutin, hyperoside, diosgenin, plant antidepressant, antiamnesic,