PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Syzygium polyanthum is a herb widely used in Malaysia and Indonesia in cuisines. Traditionally, the herbal decoction of S. polyanthum (daun salam) leaves is often used by diabetic patients in Indonesia. Therefore, our objective is to evaluate the scientific evidence available for S. polyanthum in lowering blood glucose levels (BGL). We systematically searched Pubmed, Google Scholar, Scopus, CENTRAL. LILAC and clinicaltrials.gov databases up to 23rd October 2020 using the keywords “Syzygium polyanthum” and “antidiabetic”. From the selected 413 articles, eight studies involving rodents were included. All results showed a significant effect in lowering BGL without any adverse effects. The possible underlying mechanism of action is attributed to inhibiting intestinal glucose absorption and enhancing glucose uptake by the muscles. Chemical families responsible for the effect were determined as flavonoids, alkaloids and terpenoids. Thus, S. polyanthum leaves showed potential antidiabetic properties, but further research is required to identify the active compounds followed by the safety evaluation of this compound.

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