ABSTRACT
Diabetes mellitus [DM] is a disorder of insulin secretion and characterized by increased blood sugar and is diagnosed by the presence of hyperglycemia. Administration of insulin and some other hypoglycemic agents are base of the treatment of diabetes, which due to side-effects of insulin, more attention has been given to herbal medicine. This study was carried out with the purpose of determining the effect of marshmallow root on decrease of blood sugar in diabetic rats. In this study, 36 mature rats with mean weight of 180-250g were divided into six 6-rat groups. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 40mg/kg.bw streptozotocin to the animals. The extract was injected intraperitoneally to the rats at a dose of 200mg/kg of during 6 weeks. Also, the effect of glibenclamide was compared with that of marshmallow root for 40 days. Data were analyzed by mixed one-way ANOVA [repeated measurements in independent groups]. In this investigation, blood glucose level in the group treated with the extract had no significant difference as compared to the group treated with glibanclamide [at a dose of 0.5mg/kg]. According to the results of this study, hydroalcoholic extract of Althea root has hypoglycemic effects on the diabetized rats, which this effect is exerted by important compounds exist in Althea root, such as pectin, antocianine, cyanidine, and dioxybenzoic acid