In the last few years, there has been an exponential growth in the field of herbal medicine and gaining popularity both in developing and developed countries because of their natural origin and less side effects. A comprehensive review was conducted to pile up information about medicinal plants used forthe treatment of diabetes mellitus. For thousands of years, they have been used to treat and prevent many types of diseases along with epidemics. Some medicinal plants also utilized as pleasant condiments, to flavor, to dye, for conserve food etc. Almost every portion of the plant has own medicinal properties. Different types of secondary metabolites found in the medicinal plants which play an important role in many kinds of diseases and also used for manufacturing medicines. A large number of the plants are also reported to possess many other activities like anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-insecticidal, anti-parasitic, antibiotic, anti-hemolytic properties etc, also used widely by the tribal people all over the world. The profiles presented include information about the scientific and family name, plant parts and test model used, the degree of hypoglycemic activity, and the active chemical agents. The large number of plants described in this review (108 plant species belonging to 56 families) clearly demonstrated the importance of herbal plants in the treatment of diabetes. The effects of these plants may delay the development of diabetic complications and correct the metabolic abnormalities. This work stimulates the researchers for further research on the potential use of medicinal plants having antidiabetic potential.
