Study of antidiabetic activity of Indian herbs in animals

Backgrounds:

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by persistent hyperglycemia caused by impaired insulin secretion, insulin resistance, or both. Increasing adverse effects and limitations of conventional antidiabetic drugs have driven interest in medicinal plants as alternative or complementary therapeutic options.

Objective:

The purpose of this narrative review is to critically summarize and analyze preclinical evidence on the antidiabetic potential of selected Indian medicinal plants. Methods: A narrative review of published in vivo studies was conducted using peer-reviewed literature evaluating Indian medicinal herbs in experimentally induced diabetic animal models. Studies were selected based on the use of streptozotocin- or alloxan-induced diabetes models and the assessment of biochemical outcomes such as fasting blood glucose, insulin levels, lipid profiles, oxidative stress markers, and pancreatic histopathology following administration of aqueous, methanolic, ethanolic, or hydroalcoholic plant extracts.

Results:

The reviewed studies demonstrated that several Indian medicinal plants, including Annona squamosa, Areca catechu, Artemisia pallens, Beta vulgaris, Boerhavia diffusa, Bombax ceiba, Butea monosperma, Camellia sinensis, Emblica officinalis, Eugenia uniflora, Hemidesmus indicus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Ipomoea batatas, Momordica cymbalaria, Musa × paradisiaca, Phaseolus vulgaris, Vinca rosea, and Zingiber officinale, significantly reduced fasting blood glucose levels and improved insulin secretion and lipid metabolism. Many plants also exhibited antioxidant activity by reducing oxidative stress markers and demonstrated protective or regenerative effects on pancreatic β-cells. Among these, Butea monosperma, Beta vulgaris, Zingiber officinale, and Camellia sinensis showed consistent antidiabetic efficacy across multiple studies.

Conclusion:

This narrative review highlights the potential therapeutic role of Indian medicinal plants in diabetes mellitus management based on animal studies. However, the findings are limited to preclinical models, and further well-designed clinical trials and standardisation of herbal formulations are required before clinical application in humans.