Blood Glucose Lowering Effect of the Leaves of Tinospora cordifolia and Sauropus androgynus in Diabetic Subjects

Abstract

To study the blood glucose lowering effect of the aqueous leaf digest prepared from T. cordifolia and S. androgynus. Materials and methods : The effect of the aqueous leaf digest (10g/200ml water) of the two experimental plants on post-prandial blood glucose levels was determined separately, in non-insulin dependent diabetic (NIDDM) subjects using the method of glucose tolerance test (GTT). The effect was compared with the glycemic response elicited by the control (glucose=50g) and the hypoglycaemic activity was evaluated in terms of glycemic index (GI) score. Results : The rise in the blood glucose levels of the subjects administered with the experimental samples were lower than the levels observed after feeding glucose control, with the glucose levels reverting back to fasting levels after 2 h. of administration in experimental groups. The GI scores of T. cordifolia (GI=39) and S. androgynus (GI=55) were significantly lower than that of glucose control (GI=100). Conclusion: T. cordifolia is found to exhibit a significant ability to reduce blood sugar levels in human subjects. This corroborates with the results of earlier animal studies and its use as an anti-diabetic agent in ayurvedic medical system. The hypoglycaemic activity of S. androgynus indicated in the present study warrants investigation into the compounds/extracts with anti-diabetic activity.