Ethnobotanical Survey on Medicinal Plants used for the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus by Ayurveda and Traditional Medicine Practitioners in Galle District of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Introduction Despite the wisdom of using medicinal flora as antidiabetic therapies by practitioners of Ayurveda and traditional medicine, the process of documenting this knowledge is untapped to date. The objective of the present survey was to record the knowledge and the utility of the medicinal plants used as antidiabetic remedies that have been used in clinical practice by Ayurveda and traditional medicine practitioners in Galle, Sri Lanka.

Methods Ethnobotanical data were collected from 132 registered Ayurveda and traditional medicine practitioners in Galle, Sri Lanka, through an open-ended semi-structured questionnaire.

Results A total number of 28 medicinal plant species belonging to 20 families were reported. The leaves were the most cited part of the plant and decoction was the most popular method of preparation of antidiabetic remedies. The most cited medicinal plant was Salacia reticulate (relative frequency citation; RFC = 0.55) followed by Coccinia grandis (RFC = 0.48) and Syzygium cumini (RFC = 0.43). The most important family of utilization in therapies was Celastraceae (family importance value; FIV = 54.55%) followed by Cucurbitaceae (FIV = 53.79%). Aerva javanica had the highest use value (UV = 1.67) and the relative popularity level (RPL=0.75) in antidiabetic remedies. Sida alnifolia had the highest rank order priority of 30.00.

Conclusions This is the first survey revealing the significance of medicinal plants in antidiabetic remedies, used by Ayurveda and traditional medicine practitioners in Galle, Sri Lanka. The findings of the survey could promote the preservation of knowledge on the utilization of antidiabetic medicinal plants and the development of potential antidiabetic drug leads.