1st Edition

Traditional Medicines for Modern Times Antidiabetic Plants

Edited By Amala Soumyanath Copyright 2006
    336 Pages 29 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    336 Pages
    by CRC Press

    The increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus world-wide is an issue of major socio-economic concern. Scientific interest in plant-derived medicine is steadily rising, yet there is often a wide disparity in the caliber of information available. A detailed compilation of scientific information from across the globe, Traditional Medicines for Modern Times: Antidiabetic Plants highlights the potential role of dietary and medicinal plant materials in the prevention, treatment, and control of diabetes and its complications. The book not only describes plants traditionally used to treat diabetes, but evaluates the scientific studies on these plants and describes in vitro, in vivo, and clinical methods for their investigation. It examines the theory that changes in dietary patterns from traditional plant foodstuffs containing beneficial components, to richer, more processed "junk" food is responsible for the increased prevalence of diabetes worldwide.

    The book begins with an introduction to the disease diabetes mellitus written by a consultant physician and an up-to-date, detailed summary table and discussion of scientifically screened antidiabetic plants compiled by authors from the Jodrell Laboratories, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK. The next chapters provide an outline of clinical, in vivo, and in vitro methods for assessing antidiabetic activity of plant materials, followed by descriptions of traditional plant remedies used in Asia, the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Australia written by an international group of authors active in antidiabetic plant research. The final chapters emphasize the role of particular phytochemical groups in the treatment or prevention of diabetes. By documenting both traditional and scientifically derived knowledge, Traditional Medicines for Modern Times: Antidiabetic Plants brings us closer to the translation of traditional knowledge into new methods for treatment of this important disease.

    Introduction to Diabetes Mellitus, K.C.R. Baynes

    Plants Used in the Treatment of Diabetes, M.S.J. Simmonds and M.-J.R. Howes

    Preclinical and Clinical Methods for Evaluating Antidiabetic Activity of Plants, C. Day and C.J. Bailey

    In Vitro Models for Assessing Antidiabetic Activity, A. Soumyanath and S. Srijayanta

    Ayurvedic, Siddha, and Tribal Medicine, V.P. Menon and P.S.M. Prince

    Traditional Chinese and Kampo Medicines, M. Yoshikawa and H. Matsuda

    Treating Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus from a Western Herbalist's Perspective, J. Roberts, A. McQuade Crawford, and J. Bowen Crowley

    Native American Medicine, R.H. Cichewicz and L.J. Clifford

    Antidiabetic plants in Mexican and Central American Medicine, F.J Alarcon-Aguilar and R. Roman-Ramos

    Antidiabetic Plants in the Caribbean, C.E. Seaforth

    Management of Diabetes in African Traditional Medicine, D.R. Katerere and J.N. Eloff

    Antidiabetic Plants of North Africa and the Middle East, P.S. Haddad, L.C. Martineau, B. Lyoussi, and P.M. Le

    Australian and New Zealand Plants with Antidiabetic Properties, E.L. Ghisalberti

    Plant Polysaccharides in the Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus, P.A. Judd and P.R. Ellis

    Saponins, M. Yoshikawa and H. Matsuda

    Flavonoids, Xanthones, and Other Antioxidant Polyphenols, L.M. McCune, P. Owen, and T. Johns

    Index

    "The 16 chapters present a comprehensive overview for researchers from a multidisciplinary background interested in diabetes and plants. The merits of this book are that it appeals to a wide audience, varying from ethnobotanists, pharmacologists, phytochemists, and clinical practitioners. This interdisciplinary orientation makes the book a good state-of-the-art contribution on your shelf." 
    —Ina Vandebroek, The New York Botanical Garden in Economic Botany, Vol. 61, No. 1, 2007