ABSTRACT
One of the world’s major diseases, diabetes mellitus (DM), is a complex metabolic disorder caused by carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism. Diabetic nephropathy, high blood pressure, and coronary heart disease are associated with it. It mainly results from alterations in insulin action or insulin secretion that cause chronic hyperglycemia. Although the number of instances of diabetes is rising daily, no alternative effective treatment option has yet been discovered, with the exception of insulin injection and antidiabetic medications taken orally. The harmful effect of these medications results in the popularity of botanicals or herbal medicines made from plants as integrative approaches to managing diabetes. The traditional medical systems of numerous cultures around the world have used plant-based medicines to treat and manage diabetes since ancient times in Asia, India, China, America, and so on. Swertia chirata is one of the most important medicinal plants and contains a number of potent antidiabetic phytochemicals such as mangiferin, swertiamarin, and amarogentin. The antidiabetic effects of the plant have been proven in many in vitro and in vivo studies. More studies are needed, however, to perform and verify the hypoglycemic effect of this plant utilizing diabetic animal models and clinical trials involving human participants. This chapter discusses the plant, its habit and distribution, cultivation practices, traditional uses, chemical profile, antidiabetic activity, other pharmacological properties, and toxicity profile.
