Kausar Aamir, Arfa Azhar, Fatima Abid, Muhammad Azhar Mughal.
Comparison of Efficacy of Metformin against Flaxseeds and Nigella Sativa in Type 2 Diabetes.
Ann Jinnah Sindh Med Uni Jan ;3(2):86-96.

Background: Diabetes is a metabolic and endocrine disorder characterized by hyperglycemia. It will affect 350 million people by the year 2030. There are many ways of treating diabetes in herbal and modern medicine. Commonly used herbal medicines are flaxseed and Nigella sativa for their blood glucose lowering properties, while metformin is the commonly used conventional medicine. This review includes 150 articles comparing the efficacy of these commonly used drugs . Objective: To compare the efficacy of Metformin against flaxseeds and Nigella sativa in type 2 diabetes Methodology: A systematic review was done and literature search was conducted from year 2006 to 2016 using relevant keywords i.e. diabetes, hypoglycemia, metformin, flaxseed, nigella sativa. A total of 50 articles were selected for the study (17) of metformin. Randomized control trials?8 for dose comparison, 4 as monotherapy, and 5 with the combination of insulin with metformin?were pooled (31,474 patients) in the final analysis. Data sources: Medline, Embase, Lilacs, Cochrane library, Pubmed, Web of science Results: Extensive decrease was found in HbA1C levels under large doses of metformin as compared to small doses, with no striking increase in side effects (16). Descriptive and analytical articles of flaxseed (n=1450 patients) showed valuable differences in blood sugar and HbA1C levels in patients using different doses (17). Eligible articles of Nigella sativa (n=1980 patients) showed obvious differences in blood sugar levels, while long standing supplementation of Nigella sativa corrected glucose homeostasis and augmented the antioxidant effects in type 2 patients treated with oral hypoglycemic drugs. Conclusion: It has been proven that flaxseed and Nigella sativa are very effective with minimum side effects but it also needs further scientific research. Key words: Diabetes, hypoglycemia, metformin, flaxseed, nigella sativa,

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