Medicinal effects of saffron and chamomile on diabetes mellitus and associated hyperlipidemia and memory impairment

Diabetes mellitus is a multifactorial metabolic syndrome, in which FDA approved treatments have their own limitations and drawbacks. Therefore, herbal alternatives have recently garnered attention for their effectiveness against diabetes. Herbs saffron and chamomile are renowned for their potent benefits. The present study was designed to observe their effects separately as well as in combination on blood glucose, lipids and antioxidant profile along with memory in diabetic animal model. Fifty male Sprague-dawley rats of 200g +/- 20g weight were divided into healthy and diabetic controls while the test groups received methanolic extract of saffron (10 mg/kg), chamomile (30 mg/kg) and combined extract of saffron and chamomile (5mg/kg and 15mg/kg, respectively) over a period of two weeks. It was observed that there were considerable anti-diabetic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects in all treatment groups with modulation of body weight especially in combined saffron and chamomile administered group. Likewise, the antioxidant profile showed significantly decreased MDA levels with reduced SOD activity in all test groups particularly in the combined group with significant improvement in cognition. The considerable results of combined group showed herbal synergy at half dose and bring forth a cost-effective treatment for diabetes and associated disorders than treatment with a single herb.