Diabetes and the significance of herbs

Since time immemorial, plants have been a source of drugs for humans. The Indian traditional system of medicine is brimming with the use of plants to manage various health conditions, including diabetes. Diabetes mellitus is a growing problem worldwide, leading to an enormous financial burden and a severe threat to public health. Different biochemical and chemical agents help control diabetes, but no permanent remedy is available that could cure it completely. Research has been done on numerous plants and traditional medicines to help treat diabetes. The present review represents the antidiabetic efficacy of some plants and herbs used in Ayurveda to manage type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a non-infectious complex metabolic disorder caused either due to insulin insufficiency or insulin dysfunction. It is characterized by the disturbance in the metabolism of carbohydrates and is associated with hyperglycemia. Diabetes is linked to various serious diseases like nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy, peripheral vascular disease, and coronary heart disease. Insulin, a hormone released from the pancreas, maintains blood glucose levels. When insulin production is absent or less, it causes hyperglycemia, known as diabetes mellitus.

Types of Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are mainly two types. Another type of diabetes, known as Gestational diabetes, presents with hyperglycemia in pregnant women during the 2nd or 3rd trimester in 2-4% of pregnancies. Type 1 Diabetes mellitus (insulin-dependent) is due to the total loss of function of β cells of islets of Langerhans present in the pancreas and are therefore totally dependent on exogenous sources of insulin, whereas Type 2 Diabetes mellitus is insulin non-dependent and a more common form of diabetes. It usually occurs in obese persons and is associated with high cholesterol and blood pressure.

Symptoms of Diabetes

The symptoms of diabetes mellitus include polydipsia, polyphagia, polyuria, fatigue, extreme weakness and tiredness, nausea, vomiting, impotence in men, slow healing wound, and blurred vision. Treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus aims to decrease insulin resistance and increase insulin secretion.

Diabetes and Significance

According to a survey done in 2021 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), diabetes is a disorder affecting 537 million adults (20-79 years) globally, and the number may increase to 783 million by 2045. India is often known as the 'Diabetes Capital of the World' and accounts for 17%percent of the total number of diabetes patients globally. Currently, about 80 million people are affected with diabetes in India, which is expected to increase to135 million by 2045. The frequency of diabetes is progressively rising more in the urban population than in the rural population due to a sedentary lifestyle and habits, decreased exercise, increasing weight and tension, poor diet, malnutrition, and alcohol consumption.

Treatments for diabetes

As diabetes is a multifactorial disorder leading to many complications, several therapies are used to treat diabetes but with certain limitations and side effects such as developing hypoglycemia, gastrointestinal disturbances, liver toxicity, etc. Diabetes can be controlled by regulating blood sugar levels with various medicines, acquiring different diet plans, and doing exercise and yoga therapy. Currently available therapies for diabetes mellitus are insulin treatment for type 1 diabetes mellitus and other oral hypoglycemic drugs such as thiazolidinediones, sulphonylureas, and peptide analogs for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus. Based on recent advances and the involvement of oxidative stress in complicating diabetes mellitus, efforts are on to find suitable antidiabetic and antioxidant therapy.

Treatment of diabetes includes lifestyle strategies and medication, but complementary therapies, such as herbs and supplements, also help, as many conventional drugs have been derived from medicinal plants. Once again, medicinal plants are being looked upon for diabetes treatment, as studies have confirmed the hypoglycemic effect of herb extracts in type 2 diabetes. The World Health Organization Expert Committee has recommended using traditional medicinal plants to treat diabetes. Due to the side effects of conventional treatment, herbal treatments have proved to be a better choice.

The Future Aspect of Herbal Remedies for Diabetes Mellitus

People use various herbal drugs, and many native herbs are regularly introduced into current therapeutics. In developing countries, about 80% of rural people confide in traditional medical remedies for their health care needs. The fast-growing number of patients with diabetes mellitus is a severe threat to human health worldwide. Recently, new active medicines having antidiabetic activity have been extracted from plants and are more effective than many oral hypoglycemic agents used in diabetic therapy. In recent years, there has been more awareness towards discovering plants with antidiabetic activities that may be useful to treat diabetes without any side effects.

Conclusion

Diabetes mellitus is a lifelong condition affecting the body's insulin and blood sugar levels. It is the most common metabolic and endocrine disorder, affecting millions worldwide. Commercially available drugs for diabetes have many side effects. Also, problems like the unwanted hypoglycemic effect have led to a shift in the research towards traditionally available medicines, which have low side effects and a wide range of bioactivity. As per Ayurveda, an extensive collection of plants with antidiabetic potential exists. Only a few have been scientifically proven, and a lot more has yet to be explored and verified. These plants have shown varying degrees of hypoglycemic activity and contribute to controlling the complications of diabetes. The outcome of such studies provides a starting point for developing potential antidiabetic drugs. This review may be helpful in the management of diabetes and in developing evidence-based alternative medicines to cure different kinds of diabetes problems using herbal preparation. As diabetes incidence increases, the need for effective antidiabetic and phytochemicals treatment rises, and growing evidence of antidiabetic activity of several plants and their constituents provides a great pool of potentially effective and safe drugs for the prevention and management of diabetes.