Traditional Medicine and Endocrinology Publisher



Adelmehraban MS ; Lavari N ; Aghabeiglooei Z ; Esmaealzadeh N ; Tabatabaeimalazy O
Source: Interdisciplinary Advances in Endocrinology Published:2025

Abstract

Among different endocrine dysfunctions and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), metabolic disorders such as hypertension, obesity, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, and hyperprolactinemia are the most common health problems which are associated with high burden and cost. Traditional medicine which offers herbal treatments to alleviate these endocrine disorders is recently attracted by patients and physicians. So, we aimed to summarize the high-level evidence of the herbal medications in management of these problems. Accordingly, we systematically searched for meta-analysis studies in PubMed and Web of Science web databases using relevant keywords such as “diabetes,” “obesity,” “dyslipidemia,” “PCOS,” “osteoporosis,” “metabolic syndrome,” and “hyperprolactinemia” in combination with “herbal medicine.” We found a lot of herbs and herbal formulas used in management of these metabolic disorders. Some of them are including cinnamon, green tea, Aloe vera, fenugreek, green coffee, black cumin, ginger, almond, garlic, and saffron. Plant-derived medicines can modulate blood glucose, HbA1C, and serum insulin in diabetic patients, improve cholesterols and triglycerides in patients with dyslipidemia, reduce weight and anthropometric indices in obese patients, suppress bone resorption in postmenopausal women, and regulate sex hormones and menstrual problems in reproductive-age women. In conclusion, there is a great potential in traditional medicines, especially herbal remedies, to manage metabolic disorders which is supported by recent evidences on the efficacy and safety of these plants. However, more well-designed clinical trials with large sample sizes are required to confirm these findings. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025.