India has got rich cultural inheritage in the forms of Ayurveda texts which are a rich and ample source of herbs, shrubs, trees and affluent in medicinally active phytoconstituents. Aconitum napellus is used for the cure of many ailments including rheumatoid arthritis, sciatica and gout. The present work attempts to evaluate the physicochemical and preliminary phytochemical studies on the tubers of Aconitum napellus along with its antidiabetic activity. The herbal standardization was carried out on the basis of organoleptic properties, physical characteristics and physicochemical properties. The body weight of ACON-I (1.25 mg/kg) and ACON-II (2.5 mg/kg) was recorded as 190.40 and 209.40 g, respectively, compared with 163.00 g in diabetic rats at day 28. The body weight of ACON-I and ACON-II was significantly increased compared with diabetic rats (p < 0.01). However, the body weight of ACON-I and ACON-II was decreased significantly (p < 0.01) compared with normal group (222.60 g). The blood glucose levels of diabetic rats and ACON-I group were recorded as 277.800 and 152.400 mg/dl, respectively, compared with 83.600 mg/dl in normal rats (p < 0.01). However, the HbA1c levels of diabetic rats and ACON-I group were recorded as 11.306 and 6.936% Hb, respectively, compared with 4.539% Hb in normal rats. The glucose and HbA1c levels of diabetic and ACON-I groups were significant compared with normal group (p < 0.01). The results of antidiabetic activity showed that the plant can be used as a potent source for the treatment of diabetes and its complications. The results of this work provided the referential information for the identification and standardization of Aconitum napellus along with its role as a hypoglycemic agent.
Keywords: Aconitum napellus, Aconitine, Shodhana, Physicochemical properties, Diabetes
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