Less known medicinal plants of assam and odisha used for treating diabetes with special reference to charaka

Abstract

Lifestyle disorders are diseases that appear to increase in frequency as countries like India become more industrialized and people live longer. They can include Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, athirosclerosis, asthma, some kinds of cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), type II diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, chronic renal failure, osteoporosis, stroke, depression and obesity. Diabetes mellitus is one of the common metabolic disorders acquiring around 2.8% of the world's population and is anticipated to cross 5.4% by the year 2025. Its percentage is in Assam 4.2 and Odisha 4.6 of the total population of state. Since long back herbal medicines have been the highly esteemed source of medicine therefore, they have become a growing part of modern, high-tech medicine. In view of the above aspects the present paper provides profiles of ten species of antidiabetic medicinal plants of Assam and Odhisa state having their references in age old classical treatises like Charaka Samihta. The antidiabetic medicinal plants discussed are Calotropis procera, Calotropis gigantia, Cassia fistula, Hemidesmus indicus, Cleodendrum serratum, Punica granatum, Woodfodia fruticosa, Cynodon dactylon, Fagonia cretica and Gmelina arboria.