WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants - travolekar.ru

<strong>WHO</strong> <strong>monographs</strong> on selected medicinal plants
Medicinal uses
Uses supported by clinical data
None.
Uses described in pharmacopoeias and well established documents
Used as an antidiabetic agent, an emetic, a laxative and a tonic (1, 6).
Although a number of case-reports and pilot studies have suggested
that various preparations of the fruit may improve glucose tolerance, fasting
blood glucose levels and glycosuria (24–31), none of the trials were
randomized or blinded. Furthermore, the dosage, toxicity and adverse
events have not been systematically assessed. Adequately powerful, randomized,
placebo-controlled trials are needed to properly assess the safety
and efficacy of preparations of the fruit before therapeutic recommendations
can be made.
Uses described in traditional medicine
Used to treat anaemia, arthritis, colds, fever, gout, infertility, kidney
stones, peptic ulcers, stomach ache and worms (5, 7).
Pharmacology
Experimental pharmacology
Effects on streptozotocin-induced diabetes
The effects of a dried ethanol extract of the fruit pulp (1 kg fruit pulp minus
seeds in 1500 ml 95% ethanol) were investigated in a normal glucoseprimed
rat model and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Oral administration
of the extract, at a dose of 500.0 mg/kg body weight (bw), reduced
the plasma glucose levels in normal rats by 10–15% after 1 hour. In rats
with streptozotocin-induced diabetes, the extract significantly improved
the oral glucose tolerance (p < 0.002) and reduced plasma glucose by 26%
at 3.5 hours while metformin caused a 40–50% reduction after 1, 2 and
3.5 hours (32).
A diet containing the crude drug (30.0 g/kg bw) was fed to mice with
streptozotocin-induced diabetes daily for 21 days. The serum glucose
concentration of mice fasting for 12 hours and 2 hours after a meal was
determined on the 21st day of the experiment. The results demonstrated
that the serum glucose levels of diabetic mice were significantly higher
than those of the mice in the normal control group (p < 0.01). After treatment
for 21 days, the serum glucose concentrations of the treated diabetic
mice were significantly lower than those of the mice in the streptozotocin-induced
diabetic control group (p < 0.01), but were still higher
than the normal control group (33).
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