Antihyperglycemic effect of various medicinal plants of sikkim himalayas - A review

Diabetes is a metabolism disorder majorly seen in Sikkimese population due to hereditary, lifestyle, and environ- ment. Among the ethno medicinal plants of Sikkim various plants have potential as antidiabetic (Chettri et al., 2005). Some of the antidiabetic medicinal plants found in Sikkim are Aegle marmelos, Azadirachta indica, Aloe barbadenisis, Asparagus racemous, Berberis aristala, Catahranthus roseus, Cordycep sinensis, Costus sp., Nar- dostachts jatamansi, Ocimum sanctum, Panax pseudoginseng, Picorrizae kurrao, Sweritia chirtia, Trigonella feocum, and Morus alba distributed in lower, middle and upper hilly region having different elevation range. Vari- ous research and preclinical studies done on the animals have shown that the part of these medicinal plants such as seeds, roots, leaf, stems have active phytochemicals that are responsible for hypoglycemic activity either by lowering of blood glucose levels, increasing insulin secretion, or increasing glucose tolerance.