Natural Capital and Plant Health Department, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wakehurst Place, Ardingly, West Sussex RH17 6TN, United Kingdom; Centre for Biocultural Diversity, School of Anthropology and Conservation, Marlowe Building, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NR, United Kingdom.
Natural Capital and Plant Health Department, Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, United Kingdom; Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, Franklin-Wilkins Building, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, United Kingdom.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2016 May 26;184:58-71. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.02.034. Epub 2016 Feb 27.
Globally 387 million people currently have diabetes and it is projected that this condition will be the 7th leading cause of death worldwide by 2030. As of 2012, its total prevalence in Central America (8.5%) was greater than the prevalence in most Latin American countries and the population of this region widely use herbal medicine. The aim of this study is to review the medicinal plants used to treat diabetes and its sequelae in seven Central American countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
We conducted a literature review and extracted from primary sources the plant use reports in traditional remedies that matched one of the following disease categories: diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, urinary problems, skin diseases and infections, cardiovascular disease, sexual dysfunctions, visual loss, and nerve damage. Use reports were entered in a database and data were analysed in terms of the highest number of use reports for diabetes management and for the different sequelae. We also examined the scientific evidence that might support the local uses of the most reported species.
Out of 535 identified species used to manage diabetes and its sequelae, 104 species are used to manage diabetes and we found in vitro and in vivo preclinical experimental evidence of hypoglycaemic effect for 16 of the 20 species reported by at least two sources. However, only seven of these species are reported in more than 3 studies: Momordica charantia L., Neurolaena lobata (L.) R. Br. ex Cass., Tecoma stans (L.) Juss. ex Kunth, Persea americana Mill., Psidium guajava L., Anacardium occidentale L. and Hamelia patens Jacq. Several of the species that are used to manage diabetes in Central America are also used to treat conditions that may arise as its consequence such as kidney disease, urinary problems and skin conditions.
This review provides an overview of the medicinal plants used to manage diabetes and its sequelae in Central America and of the current scientific knowledge that might explain their traditional use. In Central America a large number of medicinal plants are used to treat this condition and its sequelae, although relatively few species are widely used across the region. For the species used to manage diabetes, there is variation in the availability and quality of pharmacological, chemical and clinical studies to explain traditional use.
目前全球有 3.87 亿人患有糖尿病，预计到 2030 年，这一疾病将成为全球第七大死因。截至 2012 年，中美洲（8.5%）的总患病率高于大多数拉丁美洲国家，该地区的人口广泛使用草药。本研究的目的是回顾在七个中美洲国家（伯利兹、哥斯达黎加、萨尔瓦多、危地马拉、洪都拉斯、尼加拉瓜和巴拿马）用于治疗糖尿病及其后遗症的药用植物。
我们进行了文献回顾，并从原始资料中提取了与以下疾病类别之一相匹配的植物使用报告：糖尿病、肾病、泌尿系统问题、皮肤病和感染、心血管疾病、性功能障碍、视力丧失和神经损伤。使用报告被输入数据库，根据用于糖尿病管理和不同后遗症的最高使用报告数量对数据进行分析。我们还检查了可能支持最常报告物种的当地用途的科学证据。
在 535 种用于治疗糖尿病及其后遗症的鉴定物种中，有 104 种用于治疗糖尿病，我们发现了 20 种报告物种中的 16 种具有体外和体内临床前实验证据的降血糖作用。然而，只有 7 种报告的研究超过 3 种：苦瓜、三叶鬼针草、黄槐、番石榴、番石榴、腰果和贯叶金丝桃。中美洲用于治疗糖尿病的一些物种也用于治疗可能由此产生的疾病，如肾病、泌尿系统问题和皮肤病。
本综述提供了中美洲用于治疗糖尿病及其后遗症的药用植物概述，以及可能解释其传统用途的当前科学知识。在中美洲，大量的药用植物被用于治疗这种疾病及其后遗症，尽管相对较少的物种在整个地区被广泛使用。对于用于治疗糖尿病的物种，在药理学、化学和临床研究方面，其可用性和质量存在差异，以解释传统用途。
