Abstract
Diabetes mellitus is a global health crisis that persistently affects humanity regardless of socioeconomic status or geographic location. This study was conducted to comparatively evaluate the potential blood glucose-lowering effects of aqueous extracts from six medicinal plants—Allium sativum (garlic), Aloe vera, Gymnema sylvestre (gurmar), Momordica charantia (karela), Trigonella foenum-graecum (methi dana), and Syzygium cumini (jamun) in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Hypoglycemic activity was assessed using a spectrophotometer. Among the six plants, Gymnema sylvestre and Trigonella foenum-graecum exhibited the highest hypoglycemic activity, followed by Aloe vera and Allium sativum, which showed moderate effects. Syzygium cumini and Momordica charantia demonstrated the least glucose-lowering activity. No significant change in blood glucose levels was observed in the control rats; however, a significant reduction was noted in all treatment groups receiving plant extracts. Given the genetic similarity between rats and humans, these findings suggest that natural plant extracts may serve as valuable hypoglycemic agents for managing blood glucose levels in diabetic patients. Nevertheless, this study raises several important questions regarding the clinical use of these herbs as antidiabetic therapies. Rigorous, randomized controlled clinical trials are essential to establish their safety and efficacy in human diabetic patients.