Treating Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with Traditional Chinese and Indian Medicinal Herbs

Table 1

Comparison of various mechanisms of action of Western medications with TCM and TIM herbs. Numbers in parenthesis corresponds with mechanisms of action depicted in Figure 1.

	Inhibition of carbohydrate absorption (1)	Increased peripheral glucose uptake; (2)	Activation of PPAR (3)	Increased insulin receptor expression (4)	Increased insulin receptor sensitivity (4)	Decreased peroxidation or apoptosis of 𝛽-cells; (5)	Stimulation of insulin secretion; (6)	Decreased gluconeogenesis/glycogenolysis (7)	Suppression of glucagon (8)	Delayed gastric emptying
Western medications
Biguanides		*			*			*
Sulfonylureas							*
Thiazolidinediones			*
GLP-agonists							*		*	*
Meglitinides							*
𝛼-glucosidase inhibitors	*
DPP-4 inhibitors							*		*	*
Amylin										*
Herbs
G. sylvestre							*
M. charantia	*	*	*			*		*
F. Mori	*	*
T. foenum-graecum		*					*	*
Ridix Rehmanniae							*	*
S. tetrandra							*
Rhizoma coptidis	*			*	*
Radix astragali					*		*
E. japonica							*
G. biloba	*	*
Radix ginseng		*	*			*	*
Fructus schisandrae	*		*		*	*	*
P. lobata	*	*	*			*
C. officinalis	*	*			*	*		*
B. racemosa	*
S. cumini	*							*
T. cordifolia	*						*	*
O. basilicum	*
B. aristata								*