Medicinal Plants with Multiple Effects on Diabetes Mellitus and Its Complications: a Systematic Review

Purpose of Review This systematic review describes evidence concerning medicinal plants that, in addition to exerting hypo- glycemic effects, decrease accompanying complications such as nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy, hypertension, and/or hyperlipidemia among individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM). Recent Findings Studies on the antidiabetic mechanisms of medicinal plants have shown that most of them produce hypogly- cemic activity by stimulating insulin secretion, augmenting peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), inhibiting α- amylase or α -glucosidase, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion, advanced glycation end product (AGE) formation, free radical scavenging plus antioxidant activity (against reactive oxygen or nitrogen species (ROS/RNS)), up-regulating or elevating translocation of glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT-4), and preventing development of insulin resistance. Summary Not only are medicinal plants effective in DM, but many of them also possess a variety of effects on other disease states, including the complications of DM. Such plants may be appropriate a lternatives or adjuncts to availa ble antidiabetic medication