ABSTRACT
A group of 25 medicinal herbs, belonging to 13 different families, were assessed for their hypoglycemic and hyperinsulinemic action on alloxan diabetic rats. A dose of 1.5 ml of herb suspension/100 g b. wt. was orally administrated to alloxan diabetic rats for intervals of 4, 8 and 16 days. The results revealed that Lactuca virosa L. [Lebbein], Aloe perryi Baker [Sabir], Ambrosia maritima L. [Demissa], Artemisia arborescens L., [Shagaret mariam], Geranium robertianum L., [Requemoya], Cymbopogon proximus, [Half barr], Portulaca oleracea L., [Rigla], and Zygophyllum coccineum L., [Kammun karmani] exerted hypoglycemic effects after treatment for 16 days, and the results recorded were: 167, 193, 192, 189, 195, 198, 194, and 189 mg%, respectively. Some of these herbs exerted an increase in the level of serum insulin of diabetic rats especially Lactuca virosa L. [Lebbein], Petroselinum crispum, [Bagdouneas], Ambrosia maritima L., [Demissa], Geranium robertianum L. [Requemoya], Acacia nilotica L. [Sant], Lupinus albus L. [termes] and Portulaca oleracea L. [Rigla] after treatment for 16 days, and the results recorded were: 9.3, 8.9, 8.9, 10.2, 13.0, 8.9 and 10.4 muIU/ml, respectively. To identify the turnover for these herbs and to assess their physiological capability several investigations have been undertaken in the present work