Medicinal plants used in the treatment of diabetes in Morocco

Abstract

The present review shows a listing of medicinal plants used in phytotherapy of diabetes and thoseexperimentally studied as hypoglycaemic in Morocco. The review is presented as 3 tables. The first oneincludes the taxonomic classification of the plant, the popular names in Morocco, the parts used, themode of preparation and the other medicinal uses and toxicity. The second table summarises theexperiments done by Moroccan researchers to confirm the hypoglycemic activity of the medicinalplants. It also describes the methodology used, and the magnitude of the hypoglycemic activity. Thethird table lists the toxicological studies carried out with plants reported to be toxic. The large numberof plants described in this review (94 species belonging to 38 families) demonstrated the prevalence ofphytotherapy in Morocco. The plant families which contained the most commonly used species for theirantidiabetic effects are: Compositae (18 species), Lamiaceae (14 sp.), Leguminosae (8 sp.), Liliaceae (5sp.), Apiaceae (5 sp.), and Graminae (4 sp.). Among these medicinal plants, 17 are toxic, the mostknown being: Daphne gnidium, Nerium oleander, Ferula communis, Peganum harmala and Citrulluscolocynthis.