ABSTRACT
Diabetes is a chronic disease with high or low blood glucose levels and its effects on insulin secretion. It gives major health issue of the people around the world especially in India. The disorder is now challenging in developed and developing countries to scientists. The diabetes if left unchecked and not medicated properly leads to death of patient. Ethnobotanical studies around the world are now greatly acknowledged in identifying antidiabetic plants. The ethnobotanical survey was undertaken with the help of 150 knowledgeable local rural and tribal community representatives in Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve for identifying plants curing diabetes. Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve also encompasses a major landscape of Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, lying between 13° 30’ to 14° 11’ 15” N and 79° 0’ 30” to 79° 30’ E and extended to an area of 1,840 sq.km. Our study revealed that about 68 plant species of the Biosphere Reserve is found to have antidiabetic therapeutic values. The present chapter deals with systematic enumeration of all the species used for diabetes by the local communities of Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve. The information led to the fair traditional botanical knowledge on herbal plants associated with the local communities and will be helpful in treating diabetes.
