Winkelman M
Med Anthropol. 1989 Jun;11(3):255-68. doi: 10.1080/01459740.1989.9965997.
This paper provides a brief review of the current biomedical knowledge on some of the medicinal plants used in the treatment of diabetes in Baja California Norte. In general there is very little biochemical knowledge of the specific modes of action in the treatment of diabetes, but most of the plants have been found to contain substances (e.g., glucosides, alkaloids) frequently implicated as having anti-diabetic effects. Furthermore, clinical studies with animals indicate that most of these plants do have hypoglycemic properties. This paper calls attention to the need for further biochemical investigations into the plant constituents and invites collaboration in the development of clinical field studies to assess the efficacy of herbalists' use of medicinal plants in the treatment of diabetes in Baja California Norte or other U.S.-Mexico border areas. Such research can make an important contribution to the World Health Organization's plan of "Health for All by the Year 2000" through establishing a scientific basis for traditional medicine.
本文简要回顾了下加利福尼亚州北部用于治疗糖尿病的一些药用植物的当前生物医学知识。总体而言，对于治疗糖尿病的具体作用方式，生物化学方面的了解非常有限，但已发现大多数植物含有常被认为具有抗糖尿病作用的物质（如糖苷、生物碱）。此外，动物临床研究表明，这些植物大多确实具有降血糖特性。本文提请注意有必要对植物成分进行进一步的生物化学研究，并邀请各方合作开展临床实地研究，以评估草药医生使用药用植物治疗下加利福尼亚州北部或其他美墨边境地区糖尿病的疗效。此类研究可为传统医学建立科学基础，从而对世界卫生组织的“2000年人人享有健康”计划做出重要贡献。
