To evaluate the antidiabetic activity of the ethanolic extract of rhizomes of white ginger lily, Hedychium coronarium J. Koeing (Zingiberaceae) in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Ethanolic extract (250 and 500 mg/kg body weight) was administered orally to streptozotocin induced type II diabetic male wistar albino rats. The parameters studied included oral glucose tolerance test, fasting blood glucose, serum insulin and serum lipid profile, DNA, RNA and total proteins content in liver and testes and changes in body weights. The standard group received glibenclamide (0.25 mg/kg). In oral glucose tolerance test, reduction of fasting blood glucose levels took place from 60 min of extract administration. The extract and fraction produced a dose-dependent fall in fasting blood glucose (FBG). After 15 days of treatment with extract and fraction, the maximum reduction in FBG was observed in diabetic rats treated with ethanolic extract 500 mg/kg dose. A significant increase in serum insulin level was observed in the treated rats. Serum lipid levels were reversed towards near to normal and a control in the loss of body weight was observed in treated rats as compared to diabetic control. The extract treatment also showed a significant increase in DNA, RNA and total protein content in liver and testes tissue in diabetic rats. The results suggest that Hedychium coronarium has antidiabetic activity, thereby justifying its traditional claim and augmenting it into the present day systems of medicine.
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