The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR, MAY 30, 2023
There are at least 400 medicinal plants which can be very effective in reducing sugar level in blood, thus treating Diabetes mellitus naturally, but only a small number of these have received scientific and medical evaluation to assess their efficacy, says a team of Indian researchers while advocating for in-depth research to explore the anti-diabetic properties present in these plants. They have cited the example of ayurvedic preparation BGR-34, marketed by AIMIL Pharmaceuticals (I) Ltd, for effective treatment of Type-II diabetes.
“There are at least 400 medicinal plants present in nature that can be effective in reducing the sugar level in the blood which is necessary to control type-2 diabetes.
But, so far studies have been done on only 21 herbal plants including bitter gourd, vijaysar, jamun, cumin, daruharidra, bael, fenugreek, neem, amla, turmeric which have prominent anti-hyperglycemic remedy,” said the researchers from Puducherry-based Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), in their study published in the World Journal of Diabetes recently.
These medicinal plants have been the basis of many drugs to manage diabetes, the researchers said after analyzing data available on PubMed while citing examples of herbal formulations like BGR-34 prepared by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Marketed by Delhi-based AIMIL Pharmaceuticals (I) Ltd, herbal formulation BGR-34 contains many active compounds derived from four medicinal herbs Daruharidra, Gudmar, Methi and Vijayasar. “Apart from this, Giloy and Majeeth have also been added to increase immunity as well as antioxidants levels,” said AIMIL Pharmaceuticals Executive Director Dr. Sanchit Sharma, echoing the researchers’ views that “our ancient texts of medicine and Ayurveda too are rooted in Nature which abounds with a range of medicinal plants. Since the number of diabetic patients in India is increasing at an alarming rate, research on other herbal plants can give a new outlook to the medical field.”
Last year, a study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences – New Delhi found that BGR-34 is effective not only in reducing sugar but obesity as well. This Ayurvedic medicine is beneficial in treatment of type-II diabetes, reducing weight, and improving the metabolic system.
JIPMER researchers in their article ‘Treatment on Nature’s lap: Use of herbal products in the management of hyperglycemia,’ said that though research has been conducted on eight plants including pomegranate, shilajit, bean, tea, ginkgo biloba and saffron which have shown anti-diabetic properties, more evidence-based trial is needed.
“Interestingly, many allopathic drugs have herbal background,” they noted while citing an example of allopathic drug metformin whose origin is linked to Galega officinalis which was used as herbal medicine to treat diabetes in the 19th century in Europe.
“Similarly, SGLT2 (sodium-glucose cotransporter-2) which is effective in treatment of diabetes, was manufactured after obtaining phlorizin from the bark of apple tree,” they said, making a strong case for study of natural products, which is “expected to open the door for the development of novel drugs in the modern management of diabetes in the future.”
