PRELIMINARY PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND HYPOGLYCEMIC ACTIVITY OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF ZINGIBER OFFICINALE (RHIZOMES) IN FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP INDUCED DIABETIC RATS

Abstract

Herbs are plants which are used in a number of ways including cooking, religious, rituals and medicines. In botany herbs are defined as seed producing plant with non woody stems which weather and die back to the ground after season growth. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder of impaired carbohydrates, fat and protein metabolism. It is characterized by hyperglycaemia expressed as abnormal glucose value, which is due to insulin deficiency and/or insulin resistance which results in decrease utilization of carbohydrate and excessive glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis from amino acid by fatty acids. The literature survey exposed Zingiber officinale possessing anti diabetic, anti-arthritic, anti-migrane, anti-thrombotic, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidaemic, hypocholesterolaemic, anti-nausea properties. Thus in the present study ,an attempt was made to investigate the various phytochemical present in the ethanol extract of the rhizomes of zinigiber officinal’s and also the study has been under taken to corroborate the anti-diabetic property of Ethanolic extract of Zingiber officinale in fructose corn syrup induced diabetic rats. The results thus obtained were comparable with the standard drug, Glibenclamide.