Symptom-Specific Antioxidant Activity of Boreal Diabetes Treatments

Abstract

Antioxidant activity of 35 medicinal plant species reported in the ethnobotanical literature to be used for three or more symptoms of diabetes or its complications by Indigenous Peoples in the boreal forest of Eastern Canada was related to 21 specific symptoms, with the greater the number of symptoms treated the greater the antioxidant activity of the species. Many of the top six symptoms associated with high antioxidant activity, sexual irritability, diarrhea, rheumatism/ arthritis, tonic, heart/chest pain and urinary conditions, are known to be treated with antioxidants, and symptoms associated with low activity which included swelling, abscesses/boils, general medicine and sores/wounds with oxidants. Clusters of symptoms found to be associated with high antioxidant activity within a species included diarrhea and heart/chest pain, tonic, sores/wounds, urinary problems, blood purifier, pregnancy and abscess/boils. Species used for numerous related symptoms of diabetes are of particular interest.