Ayurvedic treatment of Diabetes

Traditional Indian Medicines Used for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus

According to International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the number of individuals with diabetes in 2011 crossed 366 million, with an estimated 4.6 million deaths each year [2]. The Indian subcontinent has emerged as the capital of this diabetes epidemic. The reported prevalence of diabetes in adults between the ages of 20 and 79 is as follows: India 8.31%, Bangladesh 9.85%, Nepal 3.03%, Sri Lanka 7.77%, and Pakistan 6.72% [3].

Indians show a significantly higher age-related prevalence of diabetes when compared with several other populations [4]. For a given BMI, Asian Indians display a higher insulin level which is an indicator of peripheral insulin resistance.

A wide collection of plant-derived active principles representing numerous bioactive compounds have established their role for possible use in the treatment of diabetes [10].

The most common and effective…