Antidiabetic and hypolipidaemic effects of few common plants extract in Type 2 diabetic patients at Bengal

Abstract

Medicinal plants are used in rural India to treat diabetes due to their traditional acceptability and availability. The plants are used as a crude extracts or as mixtures to treat diabetes. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of aqueous extracts of Acalypha indica, Allium sativum, Allium cepa, Azadirachta indica, Musa sapientum, Mangifera indica, Murraya koenigii, Ocimum sanctum, Phyllanthus amarus and Tinospora cordifolia on blood glucose and lipid profile in Type 2 diabetic patients. Four hundred Type 2 diabetics were selected randomly from 828 patients. Ten experimental and ten control groups were formed each group comprising 20 patients. Aqueous extract of a particular plant was given to a particular experimental group for two months maintaining homogeneity in other variables to allow statistical analysis. Blood samples were collected at monthly intervals and biochemical parameters were analyzed. Fasting blood sugar level was lowered by Mangifera indica (136±14 to 130±12 mg/dl, p<0.02), Murraya koenigii (134±9 to 129±10 mg/dl, p<0.03) and Azadirachta indica (125±12 to 120±9 mg/dl, p<0.03). Ocimum sanctums not only lower total cholesterol (TC) (142±14 to 137±15 mg/dl, p<0.03) and LDL (91±14 to 85±19 mg/dl, p<0.03) level but also increase HDL (25±3 to 27±4 mg/dl, p<0.03) level. In addition, Allium cepa, Mangifera indica, Murraya koenigii and Phyllathus amarus showed significant (p<0.03) reduction in triglycerides (TG), TC, and very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) levels. Mangifera indica, Murraya koenigii, Ocimum santum, Phyllanthus amarus, Allium cep and Azadirachta indica exhibited anti-diabetic as well as hypolipidemic effects in Type 2 diabetic patients.