Development of Sugar-Free Herbal Syrup of Clerodendrum inerme Using Stevia for Diabetic Patients

Diabetes mellitus had become a growing global health problem and the limitations of synthetic therapy for a long time related to cost, side effects and adherence challenges have maintained the interest in plant-derived adjuvants. Clerodendrum inerme (L.) Gaertn is a shrub used in Ayurveda, Siddha and folk medicine. Pre-clinical investigations show antioxidant, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory and hypoglycaemic activity. Traditional syrups contain 66% sucrose and are not suitable for diabetics. Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) has non-caloric sweetness obtained from steviol glycosides. Stevia has been shown to have antihyperglycemic effects in animal studies. Human studies have reported mixed results. This review integrates the botanical, phytochemical and antidiabetic pharmacological information of C. inerme, properties and safety of stevia, and principles of formulation and evaluation of sugar free herbal syrups. Since there has been no published study on a syrup incorporating both C. inerme and stevia, the formulation framework here is drawn from adjacent literature, and is advanced as a proposal, rather than a proven product.