Diabetes Mellitus and its Herbal Treatment

Diabetes mellitus is the most prevalent metabolic syndrome worldwide and is characterized by hyperglycemia resulting in various shortterm metabolic changes in lipid and protein metabolism and longterm irreversible vascular changes which include diabeticspecific complications viz., retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy. In the present study eleven patients of Type2 diabetes mellitus were surveyed who were consumed a daily dose of Metformin hydrochloride 500mg(SR) as glycemic control. All patients were fed with one tea spoon full (about 5gm.) of dried seeds of Trigonella foenumgraecum before morning breakfast. An aqueous extract from dried flowers of Costus igneus was also given to each patient after seed consumption. The fasting and post prandial plasma glucose level of all the eleven Type-2 diabetic subjects were elevated even after oral consumption of daily dose of Metformin hydrochloride 500mg (SR). All the eleven subjects were suggested to consume herbal preparation in the combination: 5gm ( one tea spoonful) of Methi ( Trigonella) plus one glass aqueous extract of flowers of Costus igneus( Insulin plant). One month after receiving herbal treatments, their lipid profile and plasma glucose level ( both fasting and PP) were assayed by pathologists of SRL Ranbaxy and the results obtained clearly indicated that all the subjects showed a progressive decline in the level of Chol-LDL, Total-Chol and Triglyceride after 30 days consumption of formulated herbal medicine. In the present investigation it has been found that the daily Fenugreek consumption along with aqueous extract of Costus igneus, in addition to Metformin caused the lowering of both fasting and post prandial plasma glucose level as well as to lower the cholesterol level. BioMedSciDirect Publications International Journal of BIOLOGICAL AND MEDICAL RESEARCH www.biomedscidirect.com Int J Biol Med Res