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World J Diabetes. Apr 15, 2023; 14(4): 412-423
Published online Apr 15, 2023. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v14.i4.412
Treatment on Nature’s lap: Use of herbal products in the management of hyperglycemia
Somdatta Giri, Jayaprakash Sahoo, Ayan Roy, Sadishkumar Kamalanathan, Dukhabandhu Naik
Somdatta Giri, Jayaprakash Sahoo, Sadishkumar Kamalanathan, Dukhabandhu Naik, Department of Endocrinology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry 605006, India
Ayan Roy, Department of Endocrinology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalyani 741245, West Bengal, India
Author contributions: Giri S and Roy A did the literature search; Giri S wrote the first draft; Sahoo J, Roy A, Kamalanathan S and Naik D supervised the writing, gave intellectual inputs, and critically revised the manuscript; all of them approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jayaprakash Sahoo, MBBS, MD, DM, Additional Professor & Head, Department of Endocrinology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Room No. 5444, 4th Floor, Super Specialty Block, Puducherry 605006, India. jppgi@yahoo.com
Received: September 19, 2022
Peer-review started: September 19, 2022
First decision: December 12, 2022
Revised: December 20, 2022
Accepted: January 9, 2023
Article in press: January 9, 2023
Published online: April 15, 2023
Processing time: 204 Days and 23.8 Hours
Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by persistently elevated blood glucose concentration that lead to multisystem complications. There are about 400 medicinal plants cited to have a beneficial effect on DM. We must choose products wisely based on data derived from scientific studies. However, a major obstacle in the amalgamation of herbal medicine in modern medical practices is the lack of clinical data on its safety, efficacy and drug interaction. Trials of these herbal products often underreport the side effects and other crucial intervention steps deviating from the standards set by Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials. Due to a lack of knowledge of the active compounds present in most herbal medicines, product standardization is difficult. Cost-effectiveness is another issue that needs to be kept in mind. In this mini-review, we focus on the anti-hyperglycemic effect of herbal products that are commonly used, along with the concerns stated above.

Keywords: Herbal product; HbA1C; Diabetes mellitus; Active compound; Natural therapy; Cost-effectiveness

Core Tip: Diabetes mellitus is an age-old disease. The journey for its remedy came down from nature’s lap. Even in today’s world, half of diabetes patients have used herbal medicines once in their lifetime. It is important to know the active molecule and its interaction with other drugs, which will help to predict therapeutic efficacy and also to standardize the products. A major hindrance is the lack of clinical data providing its safety and efficacy. This review focuses on the dose and efficacy of herbal products that are commonly used, along with the concerns stated above.