Medicinal plants used for diabetes in municipalities of the Amazon Basin, the southwestern portion of Mato Grosso, Brazil

The use of medicinal plants is an alternative to complementary therapy aimed at health care. Diabetes is a metabolic syndrome that affects more and more people, and causes irreversible damage in many victims. Local people use plants based on knowledge from multiple sources, and thus define the list of plants to treat each disease. We present plant species used to control diabetes in municipalities of the Brazilian Amazon Basin. The study is part of Project PLAMED/FLOBIO/CNPq/FAPEMAT/UNEMAT and includes four counties “(Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade, Conquista do Oeste, Nova Lacerda, Comodoro)” located in the Amazon Basin (A), the southwestern portion of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Data collection was performed in 2005. Informants, visited and interviewed, were persons of recognized reference in the subject and indicated by the local community. This study discloses the use of nine plant species for control of diabetes. Of these nine, five species [“Estomalina” (Vernonia condensata Baker), “Fedegoso”(Senna occidentalis (L.) Link), “Hortelã do campo” (Hyptis suaveolens Poit.), “Serralha” (Sonchus oleraceus L.), “Carovinha”(Jacaranda caroba (Vell.) A.DC.)] were indicated in the municipality of “Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade” (1818), the oldest, which is further south, two species [“Babosa” (Aloe vera (L.) Burm. F.), “Infalivina” (Artemisia vulgaris L.)] in the municipality “Comodoro” (1986) further north, while the younger municipalities (1990 s), located between the two already mentioned, were appointed the “Azeitona-preta” (Syzygium cumini L.) in “Nova Lacerda” (1995) and the “Carqueja” (Baccharis spp.) in “Nova Lacerda” and “Conquista do Oeste” (1999) counties. There are more scientific studies available online in Apr. 2013, associated with diabetes, for A. vera and S. cumini and less for J. caroba and V. condensata. There is a diverse choice of herbal antidiabetics in this region, suggesting further studies on their efficacy and safety.