Evaluation of the Anti-Diabetic and Anti-Ulcer Properties of Some Jordanian and Iraqi Medicinal Plants; a Screening Study

Abstract

A large number of Jordanian and Iraqi medicinal plants have been used in traditional medicine for hypoglycemic and anti-ulcer activities. We have started a screening program to evaluate the activity of some of these plants and their extracts taking in consideration their use as an alternative therapy. Various parts of several plants were extracted and the hypoglycemic effects of the aqueous extracts have been examined in normal, glucose loaded and alloxan diabetic experimental animals. Teucrium polium aqueous extract was studied for its anti-ulcer activity of ulcers induced in rats by starvation and reserpine and/or stress. The aqueous extract of the aerial parts of Artemisia herba alba was administered orally to normoglycemic and alloxan diabetic rabbits and rats and found to produce a significant hypoglycemic activity (normoglycaemic: plasma glucose levels reduced from 116±4 to 90±3mg/dL after 90minutes, p<0.001; diabetic animals from 471±7 to 399±9mg/dL, p<0.001). The aerial aqueous extract of Phangnalon rupestre, Sinapis arvensis and Eryngium creticum also exhibited significant hypoglycemic effects in euglycaemic and glucose loaded rats. The other plants examined (Ditrichia graveolens, Alkanna strigosa, , Centaurea iberica, Asphodelin lutea, Paronychia argentea, rosmarinus officinalis, Achillea santolina, Achillea micrantha, Allium sativum, Centaurea phyllacephala, Centaurea behen, Crataegus azarolus, Prosopis farcta and Myrtus communis) failed to produce a significant change in the plasma glucose levels. One herb was comprehensively tested in detail for its anti-ulcer activity; Teucrium polium aqueous extract (intraperitoneally;150mg/kg) produced an average of 50% healing of ulcers where as the orally administered extract produced 85% healing activity of ulcers when compared with the controls.