Aloe vera herbal effects on diabetes treatment and prevention: a systematic review

Mohammad mehdi Sharifi fard,1,* Nazanin sabbagh nezhad yazd,2 Zohreh kalani,3 Fatemeh rahbar,4 Zahra sepehrian shahrezaee,5

1. Student Bachelor of Nursing, Student Research Committee, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
2. Student Bachelor of Nursing, Student Research Committee, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
3. Faculty of Nursing Department
4. Bachelor of Science in Genetics, Azad university of Tehran
5. Student Bachelor of Nursing, Research Committee, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical

Abstract

Introduction

Diabetes is one of the most common metabolic diseases that affects more than 150 million people in the world. it is the most costly endocrinologic disease in the world, due to the fact that the disease is not completely improved, the use of medicinal herbs has increased with the use of chemical drugs. this review article is intended to investigate the effect of aloe vera on the treatment and prevention of diabetes.

Methods

This article is a systematic overview using english keywords for diabetes, aloe vera, medical plants and prevention at pubmed, medline, google scholar, and science direct databases and using persian equivalents in the google scholar and sid databases. from 2010 to 2016, after initial studies by two independent individuals, among 21 papers, 10 were submitted in full text and abstract.

Results

Aloe vera contains special compounds such as anthraquinones and lectins that can reduce blood glucose by up to 50% in a few months. aloe vera gel is rich in fiber glucomannan, which is easily dissolved in water and acts as a reducing agent for blood glucose. it also protects the pancreatic beta cells by restoring its langerhans.

Conclusion

Aloe vera has a significant role in the treatment and prevention of diabetes, by reducing blood glucose levels and enhancing insulin secretion. however, this plant can not replace insulin and its similar drugs. but due to its low cost and cost, it is effective in treating diabetes and its use is recommended.

Keywords

Diabetes - aloe vera - medicinal plants - prevention