Abstract
Oral antidiabetic drugs are usually costly and are associated with several adverse side effects. This has led to the use of medicinal plants that are considered to have multiple therapeutic targets and are readily accessible. In the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, the number of people using medicinal plants for the management of diabetes has been climbing steadily over the past two decades due to their cultural acceptability, accessibility, affordability, efficacy, and safety claims. In this study, a review of antidiabetic medicinal plants used in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa was conducted. A comprehensive literature survey was thoroughly reviewed using several scientific databases, ethnobotanical books, theses and dissertations. About forty-eight (48) plant species were identified as being used to treat diabetes by the people of Eastern Cape province. Among the plant species, only eight (8) species have not been scientifically evaluated for their antidiabetic activities and twenty antidiabetic compounds were isolated from these medicinal plants. This review has confirmed the use and potential of the antidiabetic medicinal plants in the Eastern Cape province and identified several promising species for further scientific investigation.