Clinical study on Siddha Medicine in the Management of Madhumegam Type II Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Herbs and herbal formulations used in traditional medicines in Siddha have been widely accepted in India as good therapeutical agents with lower side effects particularly in the management of Diabetes mellitus, a metabolic disorder which is growing exponentially at an alarming rate. But there exist lacuna in these traditional medicines such as lack of standards for products as well as the processes their safety and efficacy. Hence the need of the hour is to scientifically validate and conduct studies on quality, safety and efficacy of these traditional herbal formulations. With these objectives, in the present dissertation a traditional Siddha formulation Nilavembu Kudineer is selected based on the literature survey and scientifically evaluated for its anti-diabetic efficacy through both preclinical and clinical trial studies. Besides the selected Siddha herbal formulation is also studied from chemical and botanical standardization point of view in order to contribute to the suffering diabetic population a quality standard anti diabetic Siddha herbal drug. Following quality standards were determined for Nilavembu Kudineer Microscopic standards: Wavy epidermal cells. Sclerenchyma cells with narrow lumen, Vessels with simple pits and scalariform thickening, parenchyma cells with reticulation. Tracheids are thick walled. Fibres with branching and split ends, libriform, thin walled, with tapering end wide lumen. Polygonal cork cells. Presence of tricolpate pollen grains and group of fibres and brown content, slightly elongated and beaker shaped stone cells. Presence of unicellular and short and long uniseriate trichomes with bi and tri cellular, short and long uniseriate multicellular headed glandular trichome. To conclude the study drug, Nilavembu Kudineer is proved for its quality, both botanically and chemically and is found to be safe, effective and economical in the management of type 2 Diabetes mellitus and its related complications such as nephropathy.