DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sjams.2026.v14i02.025

Pages: 288-297

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces or both. Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus has for long been managed using insulin, while Type 2 is managed by oral hypoglycemic agents. However, these agents are associated with a number of short comings and adverse effects. Local communities in different parts of Uganda have resorted to using extracts from medicinal plants. There is paucity of data on the efficacy, safety and probable phytochemicals that are responsible for the medicinal plant-based diabetes treatment. This study, therefore, was conducted to investigate the crude leaf extract of Aspilia pluriseta in order to validate its claimed oral hypoglycemic efficacy, its safety and phytochemical composition. The plant extract was subjected to phytochemical analysis, acute toxicity testing and evaluation of its oral hypoglycemic effects against streptozotocin-induced diabetes in Wistar rats. The results from the study showed that tannins, reducing sugars, anthracnosis, coumarins and saponins plus steroid glycosides and flavonoid derivatives were present in significant quantities while alkaloids and phenols were in trace amounts. The results for the oral hypoglycemic study indicated that an increase in dose of the extract led to a significant decrease in the blood glucose levels of the treated animals [p-value up to p < 0.001] compared to the negative controls. The results from acute toxicity test showed some acute toxic effects, although no fatality was observed. From the results, it was concluded that the aqueous leaf extract of Aspilia pluriseta contains phytochemicals like coumarins, flavonoids and glycosides, among other phytochemicals which may be responsible for antidiabetic effects. The extract also has a significant hypoglycemic effect but with some acute toxic autonomic and CNS effect.