Diabetes: A comprehensive review of the Indian landscape in contrast with global trends

Table 11 Traditional medicine systems and Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy-based approaches in diabetes care in India

Indian perspective on the function of traditional and alternative medicine in the treatment of diabetes
Ref.	Government of India[126], 2023; Prasanna Kumar KM et al[154], 2024; Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS)[174], 2023; Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ministry of AYUSH[175], 2023
Aspect	Details
Systems involved	India’s pluralistic healthcare system includes AYUSH: Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy; these systems emphasize holistic approaches focusing on mind-body balance and lifestyle regulation for diabetes care
Popular herbs used	Gymnema sylvestre (Gurmar): Glucose-lowering effect, β-cell regeneration; Momordica charantia (Bitter gourd): Insulin-like compounds; Trigonella foenum-graecum (Fenugreek): Improves insulin sensitivity
Ayurvedic formulations	Common preparations include Chandraprabha Vati, Nishamalaki Churna, Dhanvantari Kashayam, and proprietary formulations like Diabecon and BGR-34, used as adjunct therapies for glycemic control
Yoga and lifestyle therapy	Yoga practices such as Surya Namaskar, Pranayama, and meditation have shown benefits in improving glycemic control, insulin sensitivity, and stress reduction in clinical and observational studies
Usage statistics	An estimated 20%-25% of Indian diabetes patients utilize some form of AYUSH therapy, commonly in conjunction with allopathic treatments
Evidence and Limitations	Preliminary studies and small-scale clinical trials indicate the efficacy of several AYUSH therapies; however, there is a lack of large-scale RCTs, standardization, and systematic safety evaluations
Government support	NMITLI project on herbal anti-diabeticsAYUSH research portal for data consolidation, government funding for clinical trials, and establishment of integrative healthcare centers
Challenges	Key barriers include quality control of herbal products, unregulated markets, potential herb-drug interactions, and poor disclosure by patients to conventional healthcare providers
Policy recommendations	Promote large-scale RCTs and meta-analyses to validate efficacy, develop standardized, quality-controlled formulations, establish integrative diabetes care clinics, and enhance patient education

AYUSH: Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy; BGR-34: BRAIN glucose retention-34; RCTs: Randomized controlled trials.