A REVIEW ON HERBAL ANTIDIABETIC DRUGS

Ms. Nikita Dube , Dr. Vijaykumar Kale , Dr. Mahesh Thakare , Mr. Vaibhav Narwade , Ms. Supriya Mudgulkar

Herbal Medicine, Antidiabetic Plants, Phytochemicals, Glucose Homeostasis, Diabetes Mellitus Management, Traditional Medicine, Botanical Therapeutics, Glycemic Control.

Herbal plants represent valuable therapeutic reservoirs for diabetes mellitus management, offering alternative treatment approaches with significantly fewer adverse effects compared to conventional synthetic antidiabetic agents. This comprehensive review synthesizes contemporary evidence regarding herbal antidiabetic drugs, examining phytochemical constituents, mechanisms of action, and clinical efficacy across diverse plant species employed in traditional medicine systems. The most extensively studied antidiabetic plants including Gymnema sylvestre, Momordica charantia, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Tinospora cordifolia, and Curcuma longa demonstrate significant hypoglycemic activity through multiple interconnected mechanisms. Active phytochemical compounds including flavonoids, saponins, triterpenoids, and alkaloids exert antidiabetic effects through pathways including alpha-glucosidase inhibition, pancreatic beta cell regeneration, insulin secretion enhancement, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor activation, and free radical scavenging. Gymnema sylvestre leaves contain gurmarin and gymnemic acids that suppress sweet taste sensation and enhance glucose uptake by promoting pancreatic beta cell regeneration and increasing insulin production. Momordica charantia fruit demonstrates dual insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent glucose uptake mechanisms through activation of GLP-1 secretion pathways and bitter taste receptor signaling. Fenugreek seeds containing 4-hydroxyisoleucine and trigonelline stimulate glucose-dependent insulin release while improving hepatic glucose uptake and decreasing insulin resistance. Clinical investigations demonstrate significant reductions in fasting blood glucose, postprandial glucose levels, and hemoglobin A1c measurements following herbal administration?. Herbal plants possess substantially reduced toxicity profiles compared to conventional antidiabetic medications, producing minimal hepatic, renal, or hematologic adverse effects. Integration of herbal antidiabetic therapies with conventional pharmaceutical approaches offers promising complementary treatment strategies enhancing therapeutic efficacy while reducing medication side effects. Future research directions should emphasize standardization of herbal preparations, mechanistic investigation of bioactive phytochemicals, long-term safety and efficacy evaluation through rigorous clinical trials, and development of evidence-based guidelines facilitating informed therapeutic decision-making integrating herbal medicines into contemporary diabetes management protocols.

Volume 13 Issue 12, December-2025

Pages : f17-f22