Traditional Indian spices useful in Diabetes Mellitus – an updated review

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DOI: 10.4103/2231-4040.197331

Pre-diabetes is a condition that comes before diabetes. Blood glucose levels gets higher than the normal (= 110 and < 126 mg/dl) but are not to be termed as diabetes. Management of pre-diabetes can be done effectively with the help of combination therapies. There are various features which are involved directly or indirectly as etiological factors for it such as heredity, age, obesity, sex, diet, physical inactivity, hypertension, socio-economic status, sedentary lifestyle and various stresses. For prevalence and treatment there are many ways such as drugs (modern medications), alternative systems like ayurvedic, diet, lifestyle intervention and recently spice therapies are seen useful and effective. Along with proper diet which contains variety of spices which proved as antidiabetic can be effective. In India Ayurveda (sanskrit word for “knowledge of life or living”) and other Indian literature mentions the use of various plants and spices. Spices used in day-to-day life as food, can also be used in the treatment of various human ailments. Spices also possess hypoglycemic effects besides their taste, flavor, colour and preservative property. Spices in diet are useful as they play role in the various body systems such as gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and nervous also. This review is focused mainly on the beneficial effects of spices in the management of diabetes. It utilizes the traditional knowledge and experimental scientific studies to support the use of spices in diabetes.

Keywords: Spices, diabetes mellitus, fenugreek, curry leaves, turmeric