Medicinal plants with hypoglycemic activity.

This review summarises the literature on the antidiabetic activity of 343 medicinal plants reputed in the indigenous system of medicine or in which the pharmacological activity has been scientifically demonstrated. The data are presented in tabular form. The table reflects the plant parts involved, the nature of the extracts used and the names of the active principles with their structures where known. The pharmacological activities of some of the extracts or of the active principles isolated from these plants are also described.