Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by Bangladeshi traditional health practitioners in the management of diabetes mellitus

Ethnopharmacological relevance: There is very limited information regarding plants used by traditional healers for treating diabetes in Bangladesh, let alone compilation on the use of those. This study aimed at collecting and documenting information on antidiabetic plants traditionally used in the treatment of diabetes. Materials and methods: The survey was carried out in a period of almost 2 years. Fieldwork was undertaken in total of 15 districts of Bangladesh. Open-ended and semi structured questionnaire were used to interview a total of 1060 people including traditional healers, Ayurvedic/Unani drug manufacturers and local people. Results: A total of 83 plant species of 38 families were listed. Leaves were the most cited plant part used against diabetes. Most of the reported species were tree in nature and decoction is the mode of preparation of major portions of the plant species. Most of the plant species were very common and were cultivated or planted in homestead or roadsides. Conclusion: Conventional use of many antidiabetic plants of Bangladesh can be rationalized by the presence of active compounds found in those plants. The documentation could be important for the conservation of these plants and represent the preliminary information required for future phytochemical investigation. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.