Book Review Cite This: J. Nat. Prod. 2018, 81, 1916−1916
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Review of Plants with Anti-Diabetes Mellitus Properties although there are no literature citations for the reported antiDM effect presented in this table. However, the reader can look up these plants in Chapter Two to get this information. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the process of developing or using these edible plants as nutraceuticals for the treatment of DM. Overall, this book provides a valuable update to earlier publications on this topic and encompasses an impressive number of plants. It would be a useful desk reference providing ready access to data on anti-DM activity of a plant of interest or to scan the literature for leads in this field. Since the majority of scientific data in the book relate to preclinical rather than clinical evaluations, it would be of use to scientific researchers wishing to develop these leads further. It may be less directly useful to individuals directly engaged in the treatment of DM, as translation to human use is a further step from these preclinical studies. Some limitations of the book are the variation in the style and range of information provided for different plants and the absence of cross referencing of synonyms. For example, Achyranthes lanata is given as a synonym for Aerva lanata but not vice versa. Readers would therefore need to independently verify synonyms of a species of interest and check entries for all the synonyms.
Plants with Anti-Diabetes Mellitus Properties. By Appian Subramoniam. CRC Press. 2016. 591 pp, $119. ISBN 9781482249897.
J. Nat. Prod. 2018.81:1916-1916. Downloaded from pubs.acs.org by UNIV OF SOUTH DAKOTA on 08/24/18. For personal use only.
T
he volume Plants with Anti-diabetes Mellitus Properties is written by Dr. Appian Subramonium, a biochemical pharmacologist research scientist, with a special interest in ethnopharmacology and phytopharmacology. He is a former director of the Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute in Kerala, India, and is currently a consultant in medicinal plant research. The book begins with a description of the prevalence and features of the disease diabetes mellitus (DM). Normal glucose homeostasis mechanisms and the properties and role of insulin in this process are described. The two forms of DM (type 1 and type 2), acute and chronic complications of the disease, and current DM therapies and their mechanisms of action are explained. This first chapter concludes with a brief overview of the historical role of herbal medicines in the treatment of DM and their potential to yield future treatments for this disease. Chapter Two constitutes the major part of the book (416 pages) and presents information on over 1500 plants that have been used to treat DM. There is a table entitled “Traditionally used anti-diabetes mellitus plants, not subjected to scientific studies”, which has 585 entries. Plants are ordered alphabetically in order of Latin binomial name. Botanical family and plant parts commonly used are given. Unfortunately, there are no literature citations supporting the assertion of the use of these plants in the treatment of DM. The main body of the chapter consists of a large section entitled “Plants tested for anti-diabetes mellitus properties”, where 1085 plants are presented again in alphabetical order of Latin binomial name, followed by further information for each entry. There are differences in the amount and type of information presented for each plant, perhaps relating to the amount of material available. For some plants, there is a single paragraph describing scientific reports of anti-DM activity. For others, the information is presented under one or more of the following subheadings: Synonym, Common Name, Description, Distribution, Traditional Medicinal Uses, Antidiabetes, Pharmacology, Clinical Trials, Toxicity, Other activities, Phytochemicals. Photographs (grayscale) are presented for some of the plants. Some plant genera appear both in the table of plants that have not been studied and in the main section, depending on whether or not the individual species mentioned has been examined for anti-diabetic activity. Where plants have synonyms, e.g., Centratherum anthelminticum Kuntz and Vernonia anthelmintica (L.) Willd., separate information is given under each synonym, citing those papers mentioning that particular name. The third and final chapter is entitled “Nutraceuticals for Diabetes Mellitus (Functional Food for Diabetes Mellitus)”. This section discusses the role that food plants and their derivatives may play in the management of DM. A table of 115 plants with both anti-DM and culinary uses is presented, © 2018 American Chemical Society and American Society of Pharmacognosy
Amala Soumyanath
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Oregon Health and Science University Portland, Oregon, United States
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Notes
The author declares no competing financial interest.
Published: August 6, 2018 1916
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.8b00457 J. Nat. Prod. 2018, 81, 1916−1916
