ABSTRACT
Development of Diabetes Complications .................................. 263 11.8 Medicinal Plants and Their Health Benefits .............................. 269 11.9 Catharanthus roseus in the Treatment of Dm ............................ 272 11.10 Punica granatum (Pomegranate) ............................................. 275 11.11 Beneficial Effects of Some Selected Medicinal Plants on
Male Reproductive System in Diabetes-Induced Subjects ...... 281 11.12 Conclusions .............................................................................. 281 11.13 Summary .................................................................................. 286
Keywords .............................................................................................. 286 References ............................................................................................. 287
11.1 INTRODUCTION
The adoption of westernized diet in Africa has been documented to have propelled the development of noncommunicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and its complications. Type 2 DM remains incurable despite the availability of a number of orthodox drugs to manage it. The poor socio-economic factors in Africa make it difficult, if not impossible, for the poor to afford these expensive drugs. However, based on history, the intake of natural products as food or therapeutic agents has shown to enhance human health nutrition, leading to management of type 2 DM and its complications. The health promoting potentials of medicinal plants have been attributed to the presence of both nutritional and non-nutritional chemical compounds that can modify and modulate biological systems and thus eliciting therapeutic effects. A predilection for ethnopharmacological materials is on the increase owing to their safety, availability, and the cost of employing medicinal plants in research. In Africa, a number of medicinal plants have been traditionally used to treat diabetes with great success.
