Table 5.
Plants used in Cameroon to treat diabetes, with evidence of their activities.
| Family | Speciesa | Traditional treatment | Plant part used | Bioactive (or potentially active) compounds | Screened activityb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anacardiaceae | Anacardium occidentale L. (41935/HNC) | Diabetes mellitus (Kamtchouing et al., 1998) | Leaves | Not identified | Leaves extract showed anti-diabetes activity through protective role against the diabetogenic action of STZ and hypoglycemic effects in rats (Kamtchouing et al., 1998; Sokeng et al., 2007) |
| Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst (7770/HNC) | Diabetes, diarrhea, dysentery, gangrenous rectitis, fevers, stomach disorders, ulcers, sore eyes (Watt and Breyer-Brandwijk, 1962; Bryant, 1966; Gelfand et al., 1985; Dieye et al., 2008) | Leaves, bark, roots | Not identified | Bark extracts have been reported to exert hypoglycemic in rats following acute and chronic treatments (Ojewole, 2003; Dimo et al., 2007; Gondwe et al., 2008), acting directly on insulin-secreting cells (Ndifossap et al., 2010) | |
| Asteraceae | Ageratum conyzoides L. (19050/SFR/Cam) | Cough, fever, skin disease, diabetes, bleeding due to external wounds, furuncle, eczema, carbuncle, headaches (Lavergne and Véra, 1989; Tsabang et al., 2001) | Whole plant | Not identified | Leaves extract showed hypoglycemic and anti-hyperglycemic activities in STZ-induced diabetic rats (Nyunaï et al., 2009) |
| Bombacaceae | Ceiba pentandra (L) Gaertner (43623/HNC) | Diuretic, diabetes, hypertension, headache, dizziness, constipation, mental trouble, fever, peptic ulcer, rheumatism, leprosy (Noumi et al., 1999; Ngounou et al., 2000; Noumi and Dibakto, 2000; Noumi and Tchakonang, 2001; Ueda et al., 2002) | Bark, leaves, roots | Not identified | Roots extract reduced hyperglycemia in STZ-induced diabetic rats (Dzeufiet et al., 2006) |
| Crassulaceae | Kalanchoe crenata (WEKC) (50103/YA/HNC) | Inflammatory diseases, diabetes (Kamgang et al., 2008) | Whole plant | Not identified but terpenoids, tannins, polysaccharides, saponins, flavonoids and alkaloids were identified from the leaves (Kamgang et al., 2008) | Ethanol extract of the whole plant was found to possess significant hypoglycemic effect in normal rats by lowering blood glucose levels and anti-hyperglycemic effect by lowering and maintaining glycemia at normal levels in diabetic rats (Kamgang et al., 2008) |
| Euphorbiaceae | Bridelia ndellensis Beille (9676/HNC) | fever, rheumatism, diarrhea, and diabetes (Addae-Mensah and Achenbach, 1985; Onunkwo et al., 1996; Sokeng et al., 2005) | Not specified | Not identified | Ethyl acetate and dichloromethane extracts and fractions of the bark significantly lowered blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetic rats (Sokeng et al., 2005) |
| Irvingiaceae | Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry Lecomte ex O'Rorke) Baill. (28054/HNC) | Gonorrhea, gastrointestinal and hepatic disorders, wounds infection, diabetes, analgesis (Ngondi et al., 2005) | Bark, fruits, leaves, roots | Not identified | Seeds extract showed modulatory effect on diabetes induced dyslipidemia (Dzeufiet et al., 2009) in rats |
| Melianthaceae | Bersama engleriana Gurke (24725/HNC) | Cancer, spasms, infectious diseases, male infertility, diabetes (Watcho et al., 2007) | Leaves, Stem bark, roots | Not identified but flavonoids, phenols, triterpenes, saponins, and anthraquinones were detected in all parts of the plan (Kuete et al., 2008) | Leaves extract showed hypoglycemic properties (Njike et al., 2005) |
| Rubiaceae | Morinda lucida Benth | Uncontrolled adult cases of diuresis not necessarily associated with diabetes but linked to general body weakness and rapid loss of weight (Kamanyi et al., 1994) | Not specified | Not identified | Root extract showed potent hypoglycemic effects in both normoglycemic and alloxan-induced diabetic mice (Kamanyi et al., 1994) |
aHNC or SRFK: Cameroon National herbarium code.
bScreened activity: streptozotocin (STZ).