Efektivitas Tanaman Herbal Kayu Manis, Kelabat, Pare, dan Kelor dalam Pengendalian Diabetes Mellitus Tipe 2: Literature Review

A chronic metabolic disease characterized by elevated blood glucose levels due to insulin resistance or impaired insulin secretion is classified as type 2 diabetes mellitus. The prevalence of diabetes continues to rise each year and has become one of the major challenges in global health due to its potential to cause serious complications, such as cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, neuropathy, and vision impairment. In addition to pharmacological therapy, the use of herbal plants is increasingly being developed as a complementary therapy because they are considered safer, more readily available, and contain bioactive compounds with potential antidiabetic properties. This review article aims to assess the effectiveness of several herbal plants namely cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), bitter melon (Momordica charantia), and moringa (Moringa oleifera) in aiding the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus based on various research findings. This study employs a literature review method by collecting and analyzing various national and international scientific publications related to the antidiabetic activity of these four plants. The review results indicate that all plants have potential as adjunct therapies for diabetes because they contain active compounds such as flavonoids, polyphenols, cinnamaldehyde, charantin, quercetin, trigonelline, and saponins, which can help reduce blood glucose levels, optimize cellular response to insulin, increase GLUT4 activity, and help minimize oxidative damage. Based on the study results, moringa and cinnamon plants demonstrated the most consistent effectiveness in contributing to blood sugar control in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Thus, these herbal plants have the potential to be used as complementary therapies in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus; however, their use must still adhere to proper dosing and should not replace primary medical therapy.