Introduction: The use of medicinal plants in the treatment of diabetes mellitus is a common practice in many areas of Sudan, especially in western states, where people depend exclusively on herb treatment. Some plants that are common in folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus include Lupinus termis, Solenostemma argel (Del.) , Medicago sativa, Guiera senegalensis, and Cicer arietinum . Methods: Extraction was carried out using a method described by Sukhdev et al . Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the sample was performed using the gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique (GC/MS-QP2010-Ultra) from Shimadzu Company, Japan, with serial number 020525101565SA and the capillary column (Rtx-5ms, 30 × 0.25 mm × 0.25 µm). The method described by Chattopadhyay et al. (1992) was followed. Data were subjected to a two-way t -test using the SPSS program, version 20, and were expressed as mean ± stander error of the mean. Results: GC-MS analysis showed that 11 compounds were identified in the methanolic extract of ginger, with the major compounds being gingerol (61%), nonivamide (13.03%), 13-octadecenal (7.49%), and cyclohexene (7.3%). GC-MS analysis showed that two compounds were identified in the methanolic extracts of fenugreek: cis-9-hexadecenal (92.1%) and octadecenal (7.8%). This study demonstrated that fenugreek and ginger significantly improved glucose absorption by isolated rat hemidiaphragms ( P < 0.001), exceeding the effect of insulin. Conclusion: Methanolic extracts produce higher concentrations of bioactive compounds compared to petroleum ether extracts. The methanolic extracts of ginger and fenugreek contain hypoglycemic compounds, specifically gingerol in ginger and cis-9-hexadecenal in fenugreek. In particular, Sudanese ginger has been found to contain a higher concentration of gingerol than ginger from other regions. Methanolic extracts of ginger and fenugreek improve glucose uptake by the isolated rat hemidiaphragm and are even more effective than insulin. However, ginger extracts combined with insulin are less effective than the extract alone, while fenugreek extract showed a synergistic effect with insulin. More human studies are needed to optimize the dosage and effective use as a dietary/adjunct supplement in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Ginger and fenugreek contain many compounds that need to be extracted and tested for their pharmacological effects.
Mohammed et al. (Tue,) studied this question.