Medicinal Plants for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disorder related to persistent hyperglycemia. It is characterized by lack of secretion and/or reduce activity of insulin, which causes many chronic complications. Medicinal plants offer a passel of remedies that resolve symptomatology and mitigate the progression of T2D. Although several pre-clinical and clinical investigations indicate the success of conventional medicine in the prevention and treatment of diabetes, still there are several side effects. Consequently, this necessitates the exploration of complementary and alternative treatment programs that may include natural products as safe and effective anti-diabetic candidates. This chapter reviews the medicinal plants and their bioactive compounds utilized in diabetes therapy and molecular targets of Type 2 diabetes treatment. The authors elucidate present findings and contribute to ongoing investigations into potential alternative therapies for T2D.