Sneha Navin, Abhinav Srivastava, Divya Praksha, Roushan Kumari, Ranjit Kumar
Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders sharing the common underlying feature of hyperglycemia. Along with hyperglycemia this disease is also associated with several secondary health complications which are the major causes of morbidity and death in diabetic subjects. The currently available antidiabetic agents like insulin, metformin, sulfonylureas and alpha glucosidase inhibitors and are widely used to control the hyperglycemia. But prolonged use of these agents was also shown several adverse effects on diabetic subjects. Thus, it is essential to look for more effective antidiabetic agents with fewer side effects. Traditional Indian medicinal plants having antidiabetic properties can be a useful source for the development of safer and effective oral hypoglycemic agents. According to ethnobotanical source of information till now 800 traditional plants were reported against hyperglycemia. But only few of them were clinically tested and scientifically approved. However, plant remedies are the mainstream of treatment in underdeveloped regions because of its low cost and less to no adverse effect. This review focuses on diabetes mellitus and the role of plants in the management of diabetes mellitus.