Centella asiatica: its potential for the treatment of diabetes

Abstract Redox mechanisms are central themes in the progression of diabetes—a chronic disorder with an increasing global prevalence rate. Uncontrolled hyperglycemia ensures the overactivation of oxidative stress cascades that promote the development of life-limiting diabetic complications. Novel therapeutic agents with the ability to improve antioxidant status in patients, in addition to other antidiabetic actions, may offer superior efficacy. Regarding this, natural products and medicinal plants have been postulated to be an underexplored source of such agents. Centella asiatica (CA) has been used in the traditional medicine systems of Asian and African countries for the management of several ailments including diabetes and is now commercially available as a dietary supplement. Here, scientific evidence supporting the antioxidant and antidiabetic potentials of CA are integrated to fully harness its clinical utility. Furthermore, the importance of CA extract standardization and the urgent need for research on potential herb–herb or herb–drug interactions are highlighted.