Ethnomedicine and ethnopharmacology of medicinal plants used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus in Uganda

Abstract Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a global health problem owing to its high prevalence and increased morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of DM and impaired glucose tolerance in Uganda is approximately 4.1% and 6.6%, respectively. Medicinal plants are commonly used for the management of DM, especially in developing countries, such as Uganda. According to several ethnobotanical surveys conducted in Uganda, various medicinal plants are used in DM management. Meanwhile, ethnopharmacological studies have confirmed the anti-diabetic efficacy of various plants and plant-derived formulations from Uganda. However, these information remain highly fragmented without a single repository for plants used in the management and treatment of DM in Uganda, hindering further investigations. Therefore, this study aimed to comprehensively explore plants used for DM treatment in Uganda and retrieve relevant ethnopharmacological and ethnomedicinal information that can be used for DM therapy development. English peer-reviewed articles and books were searched in scientific databases, especially PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, SciFinder, and Medline, to retrieve information on medicinal plants used for DM treatment and management in Uganda. The databases were searched to obtain published literature on the anti-diabetic activities and safety of plants among the identified plants. The family name, plant parts used, anti-diabetic activities, dosage, and mechanisms of action of plant extracts were captured. In total, 46 species belonging to 26 families are used to treat DM in Uganda. Most species belonged to the Fabaceae (20%), Asteraceae (13%), and Solanaceae (7%) families. Anti-diabetic activities of 27 (59%) species have been scientifically investigated, whereas the rest have not been evaluated. This review indicated that various medicinal plants are used in the traditional treatment and management of DM across different regions in Uganda. Scientific investigations have revealed the anti-diabetic potential and safety of several of these plants. However, there is a need to validate the anti-diabetic potential of other unstudied plants. Additionally, isolating and characterizing active principles and elucidating the anti-diabetic mechanism of these plants and performing preclinical and clinical studies in the future could aid in the formulation of an effective and safe treatment for DM.