Pharmacognostic and antihyperglycemic study of Coccinia indica

Abstract

A comprehensive herbal drug therapeutic regimen offers time tested safe and effective support to conventional therapy in the management of diabetes. This is combination with adequate dietary management and physical activity would provide an integrated approach to the management of this deadly disease, particularly Type 2 diabetes. Additionally, due to unlimited potential of herbal drugs for innovative bioactive molecules, all efforts should be made to adopt a package of best practices encompassing conservation, cultivation, quality control, standardization and research and development for medicinal plants and herbals. Chronic administration of kundru fruit extracts (200mg/kg)for 14 days reduces the blood glucose level of the diabetes induced animals as compared to diabetic control group. There was significant decrease in the blood glucose level in the 7th[p<0.01] and 14th [p<0.001] days of the diabetes induction, showing antidiabetic effect of the concern fruit. The effect was comparable to that of standard antidiabetic drug Glibenclamide. The hypoglycemic effect of orally administered extracts of leaves and roots of Coccinia indica has been reported earlier but none of the literatures or paper shows the antidiabetic activity of fruit of the above plant as in crude extract while the whole fruit extract shows significant anti diabetic activity.