Preclinical updates of the homoeopathic medicines used in diabetes mellitus: A narrative review

Abstract

Introduction: Homoeopathy, one of the most commonly employed alternative medicines globally, has a wide range of role in the management of diabetes. Screening of the action of homoeopathic medicines in diabetes on animal model not only helps in validating their antidiabetic potential but also aids in understanding their effect on living systems and their mechanism of action. The present review focusses on the collection of results of pre-clinical studies carried out on homoeopathic medicines employed in the management of diabetes. Methodology: PubMed, HomBRex portal, and published literature such as library catalogue were searched up to November 2019. The search terms employed were 'Homoeopathy', 'Diabetes' and their MeSH variations in PubMed and in HomBrex search was made using the condition 'Diabetes'. Results: Fifteen studies were included in the review. Twenty medicines were evaluated for their antidiabetic efficacy either in vivo or in vitro. Most of the preclinical research on diabetes was carried out on Syzygium jambolanum and Cephalandra indica in mother tincture form and potencies, substantiating their effectiveness in the management of diabetes. Apart from the medicines discussed in the current review, there are many other medicines in Homoeopathy which are used to treat diabetes and these also should be validated scientifically for global acceptance by the scientific fraternity. Conclusion: Considering the hypoglycaemic potential, availability and cost-effectiveness of homoeopathic medicines, future research should focus on screening their effectiveness in the management of diabetic complications and other metabolic disorders.