Anti-diabetic effects of natural products an overview of therapeutic strategies

Diabetes mellitus, a large part of metabolic disorder, is characterized by persistent hyperglycemia. The number of people suffering from diabetes is rapidly increasing worldwide, and the disease is often accompanied by severe complications such as heart disease, diabetic kidney failure, and retinal disease due to the high blood glucose levels over a long period of time. Comprehensive diabetic management is important, including efforts to lower the blood glucose level and body weight as well as to prevent insulin resistance. Although various prescriptions for diabetes have been used as therapeutic medicines, many researchers have long studied this disease in an effort to find new effective substances derived from natural products without side effects or toxicity. In the research on natural product, plants can have toxic or insufficient effects and unexplained outcomes, but the possibilities are unlimited. Here, we explain medicinal plants with anti-diabetic effects in a comprehensive manner, focusing on hormonal regulation and metabolic regulation, and describe active components and natural products based on the vast amount of research and on clinical trials. This review suggests that medicinal plants can used to treat diabetic mellitus through hormonal regulation and metabolic regulation as a therapeutic medication.