Table 1.
Plant sources and their traditional uses.
| Plants namea | V. nob | Family | Parts used | Hypoglycemic and medicinal properties | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (Neem) | GMAI3 | Meliaceae | Leaves | Antihyperglycemic activity, increase in glucose uptake and glycogen deposition, inhibits activity of epinephrine on glucose metabolism resulting in utilization of peripheral glucose. Does not alter cortisol concentration. | [17, 18] |
| Bixa orellana L. (Sindhuri) | BOSP1 | Bixaceae | Leaves | Hypoglycemic activity by lowering blood glucose by stimulating peripheral utilization of glucose. | [19] |
| Bougainvillea spectabilis Willd. (Bougainvilla) | MARCKBS2 | Nyctaginaceae | Leaves | Hypoglycemic effect is by D-pinitol which exerts insulin-like effect and inhibits α-glucosidase. | [20] |
| Cinnamomum verum J.S.Presl (Cinnamon) | CIZYS1 | Lauraceae | Leaves | Hypoglycemic activity is by enhancing insulin activity, increasing lipid metabolism and antioxidant status, capillary function. | [21] |
| Curcuma longa L. (Turmeric) | SUCL1 | Zingiberaceae | Rhizome | Hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and antioxidant property. Decreased influx of glucose in polyol pathway, increasing NADPH/NADP ratio and increased activity of glucose peroxidase. | [22] |
| Ficus bengalensis L. (Banyan) | GMFB1 | Moraceae | Leaves, Bark | Stimulates insulin secretion from beta cells inhibits insulin degradative process. | [23] |
| Ficus recemosa L. (Umbar) | GMFR2 | Moraceae | Fruit pulp | Hypoglycemic activity by β-sitosterol isolated was found to lower the blood glucose level. | [24] |
|
Momordica charantia L. (Karela,) (Bitter gourd) |
MARCK1 | Cucurbitaceae | Leaves, fruit, seeds | Hypoglycemic effect by inhibition of glucose-6-phosphatase and fructose-1-6-biphosphatase in liver and stimulation of hepatic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. | [25] |
|
Murraya koenigii L. Spreng (Curry Leaves) |
SP-2 | Rutaceae | Leaves | Increases glucogenesis and decreases glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis. | [26] |
| Syzygium cumini L. Skeels (Jamun) | SPSC2 | Myrtaceae | Seeds | Reduces blood glucose level, increase in serum insulin level, exhibits insulinase activity. Hypoglycemic activity mediated through insulin release mechanism, glycogen content and hepatic glucokinase, hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphate, and phosphofructokinase levels in diabetic mice. | [4, 17] |
| Tribulus terrestris L. (Gokshura) | SUTT1 | Zygophyllaceae | Seeds | Hypoglycemic activity by inhibiting oxidative stress. | [16] |
aThe common Indian name for the plant is given in brackets.
bVoucher numbers as given by Botanical Survey of India, Pune.