Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a prevalent, multifactorial and complex disease that is associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes and other major cardiovascular complications. The rise in the global prevalence of MetS has been attributed to genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. The adoption of sedentary lifestyles that are characterized by low physical activity and the consumption of high-energy diets contributes to MetS development. Current management criteria for MetS risk factors involve changes in lifestyle and the use of pharmacological agents that target specific biochemical pathways involved in the metabolism of nutrients. Pharmaceutical drugs are usually expensive and are associated with several undesirable side effects. Alternative management strategies of MetS risk factors involve the use of medicinal plants that are considered to have multiple therapeutic targets and are easily accessible. Medicinal plants contain several different biologically active compounds that provide health benefits.
Family Name |
Species Name |
Common Name |
---|
Family Name |
Scientific Name |
Scientific Name Local Name and Region Where Used |
Local Name and Region Where UsedPlant Part Used |
Plant Part Used Methods of Herbal Material Preparation |
Mode of Action |
Plant Part Used Active Constituents |
References |
||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Methods of Herbal Material Preparation | Methods of Herbal Material Preparation |
Mechanisms |
Mechanisms Scientific Model Used |
Scientific Model UsedReference |
|||||||||||||
Reference | |||||||||||||||||
Apiacaea |
Foeniculum vulgare Mill |
Fennel |
|||||||||||||||
Aizoaceae |
Carpobrotus edulis (L.) N.E. Br | Seeds |
- The seeds are processed into powder which can be taken as an infusion |
Reduces oxidative stress, inhibits serotonin reuptake, promotes a decrease in fat and sugar absorption |
Phytoestrogens, dipentene |
Leaves [36 |
The leaves are used to make an infusion which is taken orally ] |
][70] | |||||||||
Moringaceae |
Moringa oleifera |
- | [ |
- 8] |
|||||||||||||
Moringa, Drum stick tree (English) Limpopo province and Gauteng | Aerial |
Leaf extracts |
Upregulation of hepatic lipid metabolism genes, suppression of pro-inflammatory pathways | [ |
Diet-induced obesity models in rats, |
Apocynaceae |
Gymnema sylvestre R. Br |
||||||||||
Alliaceae |
Allium sativum L. fam. | Gimena |
Garlic (English) Ivimbampunzi (IsiXhosa) Ikonofile (IsiZulu); Eastern Cape |
Meliaceae |
Ekebergia capensis |
Cape ash, dogplum (English) Essenhout (Afrikaans); Mmidibidi (Nothern Sotho). Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga Leaves |
Whole plants The leaves are used to make an infusion taken orally |
Leaves The different parts are used to make a decoction which is taken orally Inhibits glucose absorption and fatty acid accumulation |
The leaves are used to make an infusion which is taken orally |
Hypotensive |
Streptozotocin- induced diabetic rats |
[101][71] | |||||
Fabaceae |
Aspalathus linearis (Burm.f.) R.Dahlgren |
Rooibos, red bush (English) Rooibostee, bossietee (Afrikaans) Fynbos, Northern and Western cape |
Aerial parts |
Aerial parts as tea, green or fermented | Hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic; reduces proteinuria |
Improved lipid metabolism in adipocytesinhibit hepatic insulin resistanceregulation of AMPK Gymnemic acids |
|||||||||||
STZ-treated rats | 3T3-L adipocyte cell culture, obese insulin-resistant rats |
[114 |
Apocynaceae |
Hoodia gordonii | |||||||||||||
, | ] | [ | ] | [ | 85] |
Amaryllidaceae Cactaceae (Masson) |
Gethyllis namaquensis (Schönland) Oberm. |
Opuntia megacantha Kalahari cactus |
Sweet prickly-pear (English); turksvy (Afrikaans); itolofiya (Xhosa). Widely distributed in South Africa |
Fruit |
The leaves are used to make an infusion which is taken orally |
Hypotensive |
|||||
Apocynaceae |
Hoodia gordonii |
Naka tsa tholo; Limpopo Province |
Stem |
Bulbs Tender stems are eaten fresh or dried and milled. Often processed into capsules |
Aqueous extract which is taken orally Appetite suppressant targets adipose and muscle tissues reduces calorie intake |
Streptozotocin- induced diabetic rats |
[102][72] | ||||||||||
Bitter ghaap (English); Muishondghaap, wolweghaap, bergghaap, bokhorings (Afrikaans); khobab (Khoi) |
Aerial |
Appetite suppression, decrease adipocytes | Oxypregnane steroidal glycoside P57 |
- [ |
Obese rats |
||||||||||||
- | [ | ] | [32] |
Asphodelaceae |
Amaryllidaceae Aloe ferox Miller |
Cape Aloe |
Leaves |
||||||||||
Anacampserotaceae |
Anacampseros ustulata E.Mey. ex Fenzl |
||||||||||||||||
Fabaceae |
Allium sativum | Leaves are taken as decoctions |
Sutherlandia frutescens Garlic (English), Knoffelhuisies (Afrikaans). Non-indigenous Combats water retention |
Igwele (IsiXhosa); Eastern Cape [ |
Corms |
Cancer bush (English), kankerbos (Afrikaans) Western cape Cloves40][ |
12] |
||||||||||
- | - |
Leaves Cold-pressed extract |
Attenuation of structural nephropathy progression |
Decoction, aqueous extracts |
Regulation of adipocytes and lipid metabolism Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats |
[ |
3T3 cells and obese rats 103][73] |
Asphodelaceae |
Aloe vera Mille |
Aloe vera |
|||||||
Anacardiaceae |
Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich) Hochst. Subsp caffra |
Cider/Marula (English) Maroela (Afrikaans) Umganu (Zulu) |
Leaves |
Bark Leaves are taken as decoctions |
|||||||||||||
] | |||||||||||||||||
Anacardiaceae |
Sclerocarya birrea |
||||||||||||||||
Asphodelaceae | Marula (English); Morula (Southern Sotho). KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga |
Aloe vera Leaves | Improves carbohydrate metabolism and reduces obesity-induced glucose intolerance |
Aloe sterols |
The bark is used to make a decoction which is taken orally [ |
Aloe (English); Aalwyn (Afrikaans); Hlaba, Lekhala (Southern Sotho); Icena (Ndebele); Imboma (Zulu). Widely distributed in South Africa The leaves are used to make an infusion which is taken orally |
Leaves |
Gel extract Reduces blood glucose, increases insulin levels Phenolic compounds hypotensive 13][ |
STZ-treated rats14] |
||||||||
[ | , | ] |
Phytosterols, decrease hepatic lipid accumulation In vitro analyses |
[104 |
Zucker obese rats] |
][74] |
Asteraceae |
||||||||||
Cactaceae |
Taraxacum officinale F.H. Wigg. |
Dandelion |
|||||||||||||||
Apocynaceae |
Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don |
Opuntia ficus-indica (L) Mill Madagascar periwinkle Leaves |
Leaves, whole plants Leaves are taken as decoctions |
Prickly pear (English), Limpopo province |
Fruit The leaves are used to make an infusion which is taken orally |
Seed extracts Inhibits pancreatic lipase |
Increased expression of |
Decrease inflammation, prevent steatosis | |||||||||
Moraceae |
Ficus thonningii |
Giant-leaved fig (English); Reuseblaarvy (Afrikaans); Umvubu, Omkhulu (Zulu); Umthombe, uluzi (Xhosa), KwaZulu-Natal |
Stem bark | GLUT-2 | and |
Stem–bark aqueous extract GLUT4 transporter gene expression in the liver Hypoglycemic; hypolipidemic; increases the activity of glycolytic pathway enzymes; activates nuclear peroxisome proliferator and hence regulates gene expression in metabolic pathways; upregulates glucokinase activity |
Decrease in mean arterial pressure Caffeic and chlorogenic acid |
STZ-treated rats; alloxan-treated rats; in vitro enzyme assays; alloxan-treated rabbits cultured human cells Anesthetized rat model |
[ |
High-fat fed rats |
|||||||
[ | , | , | ,[ 105][7538][ ] |
||||||||||||||
[ | ] | [ | ] |
Cannabaceae. |
Cannabis sativa L. |
Oleaceae |
Olea europea Marijuana |
||||||||||
Myrtaceae |
Syzigium aromaticum | Leaves |
Wild olive (English), Olienhout (Afrikaans); Mohlware (Nothern Sotho, Southern Sotho), Umnquma (Zulu, Xhosa, Swati). Widely distributed in South Africa The leaves are used to make an infusion taken orally |
Psychoactive rapid and long-lasting downregulation of CB1R causes reduction of energy storage and increases metabolic rates |
Cannabinoids |
Clove (English), Naeltjies (Afrikaans). Non-indigenous, grown as ornamental tree Leaves [ |
The leaves are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
||||||||||
[ | ] | ] | [ | ] | |||||||||||||
Apocynaceae |
Plumeria obtusa L. |
Mohlare wa maswi wa sukiri; Limpopo Province |
Leaves |
The leaves are used to make an infusion which is taken orally |
Cloves - |
Diuretic, anti-atherosclerotic, and anti-hypertensive effects - |
Insulin-resistant genetic rodent models |
Cold-pressed extract (oleanolic acid) [106 |
Developmental programming Regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism pathways ,107] |
Cucurbitaceae |
Cucumis africanus L.f. |
Scarlet gourd |
Whole plant |
||||
[ | 76 | ] | [ | 77 | ] |
Araliaceae The plant is used to make an infusion taken orally |
Weight loss |
Cussonia spicata Thunb. Flavonoids |
Limpopo Province |
Roots |
The root bark is used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
- |
|||||
- | [ | ] | [32] |
Cucurbitaceae |
Kedrostis africana (L.) Cogn. |
Baboon′s cucumber |
|||||||||||
Asphodelaceae | tuber |
The tuber is used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
Aloe ferox Mill α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and lipase inhibitory activities |
Ikhala (IsiXhosa) Bitter Aloe (English); Eastern Cape |
Leaves |
The leaves are used to make an infusion which is taken orally |
Hypoglycemic; increases insulin secretion Luteolin and kaempferol |
STZ-treated rats |
|||||||||
[ | , | ] |
Curtisiaceae |
Curtisia dentata (Burm.f.) C.A. Sm. |
Assega |
Bark |
The bark is used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
Weight loss |
|||||||||
Asphodelaceae |
Aloe marlothii A. Berger subsp. Marlothii |
- |
- |
- |
|||||||||||||
[ | ] | [ | ] |
Fabaceae |
Acacia mearnsii De Wild |
Black wattle |
Bark |
Whole plants The bark is used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
Different parts of the plant are used to make into a which is taken orally Increases energy expenditure in skeletal muscle and decreases fatty acid synthesis |
- Proanthocyanidins, |
|||||||
Asphodelaceae | [ |
- | , | ] |
Bulbine abyssinica A.Rich. [23] |
[24] |
|||||||||||
[ | ] | [ | ] |
Lamiaceae |
Rosmarinus officinalis L. |
Rosemary |
Leaves |
The leaves are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
Reduces body fluid |
||||||||
Asphodelaceae | Carnosic acid |
Bulbine frutescens (L.) Willd. |
Ibhucu (IsiXhosa); Eastern Cape |
Roots [ |
The root is used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
- ] |
- [25] |
||||||||||
[ | ] | [ | ] |
Menispermaceae |
Cissampelos capensis L.f. |
David root |
Roots |
The root is used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
Stimulates body energy |
[ | |||||||
Asphodelaceae |
Bulbine natalensis (Syn. B. latifolia) Mill. (L.f.) Roem. et Schult. |
Ibhucu (IsiXhosa); Eastern Cape | ] |
Roots | [ |
||||||||||||
High-fructose-fed rats | [ | ][89] |
Amaryllidaceae |
Tulbaghia violacea |
Wild garlic or society garlic (English), Wildeknoflok (Afrikaans); Utswelane (Xhosa); Incinsini (Zulu). Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo |
Leaves and flowers |
The leaves are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
ACE inhibitors |
In vitro assays |
[110,111][78][79] The root is used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
- ] |
||||||
- | [ | ] | [43] |
Moringaceae |
Moringa oleifera Lam. |
Moringa |
|||||||||||
Asteraceae |
Artemisia afra Jacq. ex Willd. | Leaves |
The leaves are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
Lowers body weight, total cholesterol, triglycerides, organ weight, and blood glucose level, promotes energy expenditure |
Umhlonyane (IsiXhosa) African wormwood |
Leaves, roots Quercetin-3-O-β-dglucoside |
The roots are used to make a decoction; leaves are used to make a decoction which is taken orally [ |
Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects |
STZ-treated Wistar rats |
||||||||
[ | ] | [ | ] |
Poaceae |
Coix lacryma-jobi L. |
Job’s tears |
|||||||||||
Asteraceae |
Brachylaena discolor DC. | Seeds |
Leaves, roots, and stems The seeds are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
The roots are made into a decoction which is taken orally Neuroendocrine activity downregulation of adipogenesis |
Inhibits α-amylase and α-glucosidase; increases glucose utilization in Chang liver cells, 3T3-L1, and C2C12 muscle cells [57][ |
In vitro enzyme assays; in vitro cultures of preadipocytes, hepatocytes, and muscle cells29] |
|||||||||||
[ | , | ] |
Polygonaceae |
Persicaria hydropiper (L.) Spach. |
|||||||||||||
Asteraceae | Water pepper |
Leaves |
The leaves are used to make infusions which are taken orally |
Callilepis laureola DC. Combats adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells |
Phela (Sepedi); Limpopo Province Isoquercitrin |
Roots | |||||||
The roots are used to make a decoction which is taken orally | |||||||
- | |||||||
- | |||||||
[ | ] | [ | ] | ||||
Asteraceae |
Helichrysum caespititium (DC) Harv. |
Bokgatha/Mabjana/Mmeetse; Limpopo Province |
Whole plant |
The different parts are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
- |
- |
|
Asteraceae |
Helichrysum gymnocomum DC. var. acuminatum DC. |
Imphepho (Xhosa); Eastern Cape |
Leaves |
The leaves are used to make an infusion which is taken orally |
- |
- |
|
Asteraceae |
Herichrysum odoratissimum L. |
Imphepho; Eastern Cape |
Whole plant |
The different parts are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
- |
- |
|
Asteraceae |
Herichrysum nudifolium L. |
Ichocholo; Eastern Cape |
Leaves, roots |
The leaves are used to make an infusion which is taken orally |
- |
- |
|
Asteraceae |
- |
- |
Increases glucose uptake in Chang liver cells, 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes |
In vitro cultures of preadipocytes and hepatocytes |
|||
Asteraceae |
Tarchonanthus camphoratus L. |
Limpopo Province, Eastern Cape |
Roots, leaves/soft twigs |
The leaves are used to make an infusion which is taken orally |
Increases glucose utilization in Chang liver cells and C2C12 muscle cells |
In vitro cultures of myocytes and hepatocytes |
|
Asteraceae |
Herichrysum petiolare H & B.L. |
Imphepho; Eastern Cape |
Whole plant |
The different parts are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
- |
- |
|
Buddlejaceae |
Chilianthus olearaceus Burch. |
Umgeba (IsiXhosa); Eastern |
Leaves, and twigs |
The twigs are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
- |
- |
|
Cactaceae Opuntia |
ficusindica Mill. |
Motloro; Limpopo Province |
Roots |
The roots are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
Hypoglycemic |
Type 2 diabetic patients; STZ-treated mice; alloxan-treated mice |
|
Caricaceae |
Carica papaya L. |
Mophopho; Limpopo Province |
Leaves, toots, seeds, pulp |
The leaves are used to make an infusion which is taken orally |
Hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic; increases the regeneration of pancreatic β-cells and renal cuboidal cells; anti-atherogenic |
STZ-treated rats; alloxan-treated rats |
|
Caryophyllaceae |
Dianthus thunbergii S.S.Hooper forma thunbergii. |
Indlela-zimhlope |
Roots |
The roots are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
- |
- |
|
Celastraceae |
Elaeodendron transvaalense (Burtt Davy) R.H.Archer |
Venda, Limpopo |
Stembark |
The stem barks are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
Increases glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes |
In vitro cultures of preadipocytes |
|
Celastraceae |
Lauridia tetragona (L.f.) R.H.Archer |
Umdlavuza; Eastern Cape |
Barks |
- |
- |
||
Cucurbitaceae |
Cucurbita pepo L. |
Intsunga (pumpkin leaves) Newcastle KZN |
Upper parts (leaves and stems) |
α-glucosidase activity in vitro |
In vitro enzyme assays |
||
Cucurbitaceae |
Momordica balsamina L. |
Mothwatwa; Limpopo Province |
Roots |
- |
- |
||
Cucurbitaceae |
Mormordica charantia L |
Monamelala; Limpopo Province |
Leaves, fruit |
The leaves are used to make an infusion which is taken orally |
Hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic |
Diabetic patients; STZ-treated rodent models |
|
Ebenaceae |
Euclea undulata Thunb. |
Venda, Limpopo |
Rootbark |
The root bark is used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
Increases glucose uptake in Chang liver cells, 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes, and C2C12 myocytes; inhibits α-glucosidase activity |
In vitro cultures of preadipocytes, myocytes, and hepatocytes; in vitro enzyme assays |
|
Fabaceae |
Lessertia microphylla (Burch. Ex DC.)Goldblatt & J.C. Manning |
Mosapelo; Limpopo Province |
Roots |
The roots are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
- |
- |
|
Fabaceae |
Senna alexandria Mill. |
Senna leaves; Newcastle KwaZulu-Natal |
Leaves |
The leaves are used to make an infusion which is taken orally |
Inhibits α-amylase and α-glucosidase activity in vitro |
In vitro enzyme assays |
|
Fabaceae |
Sutherlandia frutescens (L.) R.Br. |
Leaves, shoots |
Hypoglycemic, increases glucose uptake in muscle and adipose tissue |
STZ-treated rats |
|||
Hyacinthaceae |
Albuca setosa Jacq. |
Eastern Cape |
Corms |
||||
Hyacinthaceae |
Hypoxis argentae L. |
Corms |
Increases glucose uptake in cultured L6 myotubes and HepG2 cells; increases pancreatic beta cell proliferation |
In vitro cultures of rat skeletal muscle cells, human hepatocellular carcinoma cells, and |
|||
Hyacinthaceae |
Hypoxis colchicifolia Bak. |
Inongwe; Eastern Cape |
Corms |
- |
- |
||
Hyacinthaceae |
Hypoxis hemerocallidea Fisch. & C. A |
African potato Inongwe; Eastern Cape |
Corms |
Hypoglycemic ethyl acetate extract inhibits α-amylase and α-glucosidase activity in vitro; acetone extract increases insulin release from cultured islet cells |
STZ-treated rats, in vitro enzyme assays; cultured Sprague Dawley rat pancreatic islet cells |
||
Hyacinthaceae |
Hypoxis iridifolia Baker Monna maledu; Limpopo Province |
Monna maledu; Limpopo Province |
- |
- |
|||
Lamiaceae |
Leonotis leonorus (L.) R.Br. |
wild dagga, lion′s ear, leonotis (Eng.); wildedagga, duiwelstabak (Afr); umfincafincane, umcwili, imunyane, utshwalabezinyoni (isiZulu) |
Whole plants |
The different parts are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
Hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic |
STZ-treated rats |
|
Loganiaceae |
Strychnos henningsii Gilg |
Hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic; increases insulin sensitivity in 3T3- L1 cells |
STZ-treated rats; in vitro cultures of rat pre-adipocytes |
||||
Menispermaceae |
Cissampelo capensis L. |
Umayisake (IsiXhosa)/David root (English); Eastern Cape |
Roots |
The roots are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
Improves glucose utilisation in 3T3- L1 cells |
In vitro cultures of preadipocytes |
|
Poaceae |
Cymbopogon citrutus Stapf |
Isiqunga (lemon grass); Newcastle KZN |
Whole plant |
The different parts are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
Inhibits α-amylase and α-glucosidase activity in vitro |
In vitro enzyme assays |
|
Sapotaceae |
Mimusops zeyheri Sond. |
Mmupudu; Limpopo Province |
- |
- |
|||
Solanaceae |
Solanum aculeastrum Dunal |
Umtuma; Eastern Cape |
Roots |
The roots are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
|||
Stilbaceae |
Nuxia floribunda Benth. |
Umlulama (forest elder) Newcastle KZN |
Whole plant |
The different parts are used to make a decoction which is taken orally |
α-glucosidase activity in vitro |
In vitro enzyme assays |
Family Name |
Scientific Name |
Local Name and Region Where Used |
Plant Part Used |
Methods of Herbal Material Preparation |
Mechanisms |
Scientific Model Used |
Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Asteraceae |
Helichrysum ceres |
Blombos straw flower (English); Izangume (Zulu) Northern Cape, Western Cape |
Leaves |
The leaves are used to make an infusion which is taken orally |
Hypotensive |
Dahl salt-sensitive genetically hypertensive rats |
[99 |
ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme.
Family Name |
---|