Synopsis Drug potential of plants is well documented. The usefulness of medicinal plants as drugs, food supplements and also as adjuvant therapy in the management of diabetes mellitus, a metabolic disorder, has also been amply demonstrated by numerous research publications. Several review articles on the role of medicinal plants in the management of diabetes mellitus have appeared but what a researcher in this area needs is not merely a review but the total work done in the area, the findings of different workers on a particular plant as well of the plants that have been investigated and the present book fulfils that requirement.

It is a compilation of brief summary of the publications in the area during the last 35 years in a systematic manner. In the book the plants investigated for their anti-diabetic activity, have been arranged in alphabetical order and the research findings on the anti hyperglycaemic, hypoglycaemic and antioxidant activity of each plant are presented in an orderly fashion the findings of similar nature are grouped together though the references are in chronological order.

A brief description of each plant has been provided mainly on the basis of the information furnished by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The common names of the plants and their Hindi (H). and Sanskrit (S) names have been shown, where ever possible. The essential sources of abstracts of research publications are Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Abstracts (MAPA) and online database of Pub Med., a service of the US National library of Medicine. Besides the main text, the book provides an Appendix which covers the topics like anti diabetic herbal formulations, dietary fibres in the management of diabetes, Phytochemicals with anti-diabetic potential etc. The structures of the plant derived chemicals together with their sources and appropriate references are shown in tabular form.