Ethnobotanical study of plants used for the management of diabetes mellitus in South Africa

Abstract

The number of people affected by diabetes mellitus is increasing in South Africa, yet the cost of drugs is beyond the majority. It is imperative, therefore, to search for alternative and inexpensive antidiabetic agents. This study aimed to document medicinal plants traditionally used for the management of diabetes mellitus in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The study revealed 30 plant species distributed in 25 families, and Asphodelaceae family topped the list with three species recorded. The rest of the families are represented by a single plant species. Polyherbal decoctions from underground plant parts are the commonly prescribed remedies. Most of these herbal preparations are taken orally as teas. Helichrysum odorratissimum and Harpephyllum caffrum of the families Asteraceae and Anacardiaceae, respectively, were the most cited plants used for the management of diabetes mellitus. It was noted that sometimes incidents of wrong identification coupled with no standardisation of dosage result in herbal intoxication, especially when inexperienced persons are sent to collect plant materials from the wild. Generally, the use of herbs to manage diabetes in the study area is an integral part of primary health care delivery system.