Evaluation of anti - diabetic activity of palmyrah (palm jaggery and palm honey) (Borassus flabellifer L.) against streptozotocin – nicotinamide induced diabetic wistar rats

Value-added products derived from Palmyrah (Borassus flabellifer L.), such as palm jaggery and palm honey, serve as alternative source of table sugar with a low glycemic index. During 2022–23, an experiment was to evaluate their anti-diabetic activity. The efficacy of palm jaggery and palm honey was assessed in diabetic rats at a dose of 200 mg/kg, and their effects were compared to those of oral glimepiride in a 28-days randomized control study. Biochemical estimations and histopathological analyses revealed that palm jaggery and palm honey possess anti-diabetic, antioxidant, anti-hyperglycemic, and insulinogenic properties. These Palmyrah products significantly enhanced insulin secretion by pancreatic ?-cells, leading to a marked reduction in blood glucose levels, serum uric acid, creatinine, and lipid peroxidise activity. Furthermore, the restoration of normal metabolic pathways reduced oxidative stress-induced mechanisms in diabetic rats treated with Palmyrah jaggery and honey. Hence, palm products could be used as an adjuvant in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.