Table 1.

Herbs with anti-diabetic potential

Herb local name	Herb scientific name	Distribution	Anti-diabetic compound	Ref
Anise	Pimpinella anisum L.	Mediterranean region, south east Asia, Iran, and Turkey.	Anethole, flavonoids (flavonol, flavone, rutin, isoorientin, and isovitexin)	[12]
Berry (mulberry and red raspberries)	Morus alba L. Rubus idaeus L.	Asia, America, Europe, Africa. Europe and northern Asia and temperate regions	Flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, and isoramnetin), Alkaloids. Phenolic compounds, (anthocyanins and ellagitannins), oxyresveratrol	[13, 14]
Chamomile	Matricaria chamomilla L.	North Africa, Asia, North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Hungary, France, Russia, Yugoslavia, Egypt Rome and Brazil	Apigenin, quercetin, patuletin luteolin, and glucosides	[15–18]
Cinnamon	Cinnamomum genus	Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Burma, India, china, South America, West Indies and Vietnam	Flavonoids	[19–21]
Cloves	Syzygium aromaticum L.	Asian and African countries	Eugenol, and acetyleugenol	[22]
Cumin	Cuminum cyminum L.	Mediterranean region, India, Iran Egypt, China, and Mexico	γ-terpinene-7-al and cumin aldehyde	[23–25]
Dill	Anethum graveolens L.	Mediterranean region, Europe, Asia, Iran Canada, and America	Terpenoids, saponins, polyphenols, tannins, alkaloids, and anthocyanin	[26–29]
Fenugreek	Trigonella foenum-graecum L.	Southeastern Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia	Trigonelline, diosgenin, galactomannan, and hydroxyisoleucine	[30–32]
Flaxseed	Linum usitatissimum L.	Egypt, Europe, South America and Asia	Omega-3 fatty acid and α-linolenic acid	[33, 34]
Garlic	Allium sativum L.	Asia, Iran, Russia spain and America	Diallyl trisulfide (DATS), and S-Allyl cysteine (SAC)	[35–38]
Ginger	Zingiber officinale Rosc.	South East Asia	Gingerol, paradol, shogaol, and zingerone	[39–41]
Green cardamom	Elettaria cardamomum L.	Africa, Asia and Australia	Quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, and pelargonidin	[42, 43]
Green tea	Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze	China, Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand	Flavonoids, flavonols, polyphenols, theaflavins, tannins, and epigallocatechin gallate	[44–46]
Lemon balm	Melissa officinalis L.	Europe, Iran, and Central Asia, and America	Flavonols (flavonoids)	[47, 48]
Rosemary	Rosmarinus officinalis L.	Worldwide	Carnosic acid and rosmarinic acid	[49, 50]
Turmeric	Curcuma longa L.	Asian and South East Asia	Curcumin,turmerone and turmerin	[51–54]

Source: International diabetes federation (2019)