Experience of Tanzanian Traditional Healers in the Management of Non-insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

Traditional healers from four wards of the Kilosa district, Morogoro region (Tanzania) were interviewed to assess their knowledge and competence in the management of noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Among 65 reputed healers who were interviewed, 21 (32.3%) recognised and were treating one or more symptoms related to NIDDM, but none could unambiguously relate the symptoms they were treating with NIDDM. Based on what the traditional healers revealed, 54 plants representing 54 species, 48 genera and 33 families were collected. Two of the Kilosa plants, Cassia auriculata and Ricinus communis are reported to have a hypoglycaemic activity, while Securinega virosa has been shown to improve oral glucose tolerance in rabbits. Albizzia anthelmintica has hypocholesterolemic activity and some of the plants also have antibacterial and antifungal activity which may benefit NIDDM patients. Some of the ethnomedical reports of the Kilosa healers, related to management of diabetes, have been reported from other areas. However, one of the reported plants, Albizzia versicolor, is toxic. We conclude that the traditional healers of Kilosa district can not unambiguously diagnose diabetes mellitus as a disease entity, but some of them recognise symptoms characteristic of the disease and they are well-known with plants that may be useful in alleviating its symptoms. Two of the plants they mentioned, Cassia auriculata and Ricinus communis, have a proven hypoglycaemic effect. Careful sieving of the knowledge in the custody of the Kilosa district healers is needed to sort out possibly toxic plants and to determine the other properties of these plants that may be useful in the management of diabetes mellitus.