Ghats plant found to have anti-diabetic traits

T. Nandakumar, Thiruvananthapuram
The Hindu, September 8, 2015

Scientists from the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) have completed pre-clinical studies establishing the anti-diabetic properties of a plant found in the Western Ghats.

The five-year-long study was based on the knowledge shared by T.M. Shahul Hamid, a traditional healer hailing from Karunagapally. “The trials have yielded promising results,” said P.G. Latha, Director, JNTBGRI. “We have proved that the plant by itself, and in combination with two other herbs, possesses anti-diabetic properties. It was also found to have anti-fatigue, hepato-protective (liver) and anti-oxidant properties, enhancing its potential as a drug addressing the many problems faced by diabetic patients.”

The team has filed for a patent on a novel polyherbal formulation with multiple therapeutic effects. Mr. Hamid has been named as inventor in the application. The name of the plant has not been disclosed but scientists said it was easy to propagate.

Agreement

The studies were preceded by an ABS (Access and Benefit Sharing) agreement between Mr. Hamid and the research team.

“As the person who imparted knowledge about the plant, Mr. Hamid was included in the research team,” said S. Rajasekharan former Head, Division of Ethnomedicine and Ethnopharmacology, JNTBGRI. “He has also been named as inventor in the patent application.”

Mr. Hamid had told the scientists that the therapeutic properties of the plant were revealed to him by a mystic. He claimed success in treating diabetics with the herbal formulation for over the last 10 years.

JNTBGRI has tied up with the CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology for detailed phytochemical investigations on the plant.

Funded by the Department of Biotechnology, the research project will focus on isolating the molecules that can be used to develop a modern drug for diabetes. “We will also try to identify the active principles and come up with a scientifically validated herbal drug formulation,” Dr. Latha said.

She added that JNTBGRI had come up with promising leads on the therapeutic properties of 15 other herbs. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is scheduled to release a monograph of the pre-clinical studies here on Wednesday.