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Review
. 2021 Nov 26:12:777561.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.777561. eCollection 2021.

Effectiveness of Medicinal Plants for Glycaemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes: An Overview of Meta-Analyses of Clinical Trials

Merlin L Willcox  1 , Christina Elugbaju  1 , Marwah Al-Anbaki  2 , Mark Lown  1 , Bertrand Graz  2
Affiliations
Review

Effectiveness of Medicinal Plants for Glycaemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes: An Overview of Meta-Analyses of Clinical Trials

Merlin L Willcox et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

Aims: To rank the effectiveness of medicinal plants for glycaemic control in Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM). Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and Cochrane Central were searched in October 2020. We included meta-analyses of randomised controlled clinical trials measuring the effectiveness of medicinal plants on HbA1c and/or Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) in patients with T2DM. Results: Twenty five meta-analyses reported the effects of 18 plant-based remedies. Aloe vera leaf gel, Psyllium fibre and Fenugreek seeds had the largest effects on HbA1c: mean difference -0.99% [95% CI-1.75, -0.23], -0.97% [95% CI -1.94, -0.01] and -0.85% [95% CI -1.49, -0.22] respectively. Four other remedies reduced HbA1c by at least 0.5%: Nigella sativa, Astragalus membranaceus, and the traditional Chinese formulae Jinqi Jiangtang and Gegen Qinlian. No serious adverse effects were reported. Several other herbal medicines significantly reduced FPG. Tea and tea extracts (Camellia sinensis) were ineffective. However, in some trials duration of follow-up was insufficient to measure the full effect on HbA1c (<8 weeks). Many herbal remedies had not been evaluated in a meta-analysis. Conclusion: Several medicinal plants appear to be as effective as conventional antidiabetic treatments for reducing HbA1c. Rigorous trials with at least 3 months' follow-up are needed to ascertain the effects of promising plant-based preparations on diabetes.

Keywords: HbA1c; glycaemic control; herbal preparations; medicinal plants; metaanalysis; phytomedicines; randomised controlled clinical trials; type 2 diabetes mellitus.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
PRISMA flowchart.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Effect of medicinal plants on HbA1c (%). The red dotted line indicates the threshold for a clinically significant effect (reduction by 0.5%). Point indicates the effect size, and the line (and figures to the right) indicate the 95% confidence interval.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Effect of medicinal plants on Fasting Plasma Glucose (mmol/l). The red dotted line indicates the threshold for a clinically significant effect (reduction by 0.5mmol/l). The point indicates the effect size, and the line (and figures to the right) indicate the 95% confidence interval.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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