An evaluation of the blood glucose lowering effects of Eryngium foetidium

a single oral dose of the aqueous leaf extract of Eryngium foetidum L. was screened for its blood-sugar lowering action in three animal models: normoglycaemic rats, streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and normal rats subjected to the oral glucose-tolerance test. High and low doses (351 mg/kg and 176 mg/kg respectively) of the Eryngium foetidum leaf extract were used. The effects were composed with those produced by 200 mg/kg of the extract of commercial Gymnema sylvestre leaf (positive control 1), 3mg/kg glibenclamide (positive control 2) and 15mg/kg distilled water (negative control). Single (acute) oral dose of E. foetidium leaf extract caused no significant reduction in the blood glucose levels of the three animal models. The effect was similiar to that produced by the glibenclamide (positive control 2). The intraperitoneal acute toxicity test result in mice indicated that the E. foetidium leaf extract up to a dose of 702 mg/kg was not toxic. Phytochemical screening showed that essential oils and saponins were present in this extract. The present study suggests that a single oral dose of the aqueous leaf extract of E. foetidum has no significant blood-sugar lowering activity in healthy and experimental diabetic rats

Medicinal plants and rational herbal therapy

Continuing education programmes in botanical medicine for the conventional healthcare professionals have become important since the 1990's. The literature on evidence-based herbal therapy has been growing. But getting reliable data about Caribbean herbs in particular remains a difficult matter. Every herbal extract (phytomedicine) is a complex mixture of different chemical constitutents. Each herbal product must be evaluated on its own merits for safety and efficacy for the benefit of public health. Some herbs are hazardous to health. Others may be harmless placebos which result in good theraputic responses for the patients. But the continuing consumer demand for herbal medicines has increased the likelihood of adverse herb-drug interactions being reported in the literature. The range of herbal medicinal products available to the public is expanding rapidly, and the modern healthcare professionals need to update their knowledge about herbal remedies so as to give good counsel to their patients

Herbal remedies today

In this paper, a critical review has been undertaken of recent scientific and clinical studies which describe a variety of herbal medicinal preparations. An evaluation also has been made of reports describing the knowledge, attitudes and practices of healthcare professionals towards herbal medicine. The findings have been translated into suggestions intended to encourage, and, to enable healthcare professionals to raise their awareness, and, to improve their knowledge of the established limitations and benefits of the various formulations of herbal medicinal products in current use