Herbal medicine use among diabetes mellitus patients in Northern Cyprus

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic, metabolic disease which may result in further complications. Traditional herbal medicines are used all over the world by diabetic patients. It is estimated that more than 1000 plant species are used against diabetes as folk medicine. Medical authorities such as World Health Organization encourage research on herbal medicines to come up with alternatives for treatment of diabetes, since oral antidiabetic agents have side effects in the long term. To date, a vast number of plants have been evaluated for their antidiabetic activity. Although, Northern Cyprus has a rich flora and anapproximately 11% incidence of diabetes mellitus, few ethnobotanical studies were carried out against diabetes. The aim of this study was to provide a list of plants that are used as folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in Northern Cyprus. A survey wasconducted between November and December of 2011 with 100 diabetic patients who consented to participate in the study. The use of 18 plants by 32 diabetic patients was documented. These patients used a variety of plants along with their conventional antidiabetic medicines to control their blood glucose levels. Ethnobotanical studies are crucial in terms of revealing the traditional use of medicinal plants and guiding research on new drugs. However, further investigations are needed. Key words: Diabetes, patients, herbal medicine, Cyprus, hypoglycemic plants.