Antidiabetic Activity of an Optimized Polyherbal Dispersible Tablet of Terminalia arjuna, Moringa oleifera, and Syzygium cumini in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

A combination of three medicinal plants — Terminalia arjuna (arjuna bark), Moringa oleifera (moringa leaf), and Syzygium cumini (black plum) — was formulated into a dispersible tablet and tested for blood sugar-lowering effects in diabetic rats. Rats had diabetes artificially induced using streptozotocin, a chemical that destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas, mimicking type 1 or severe type 2 diabetes. Animals treated with either the raw polyherbal formulation or the compressed tablet form at 150 mg/kg for 14 days showed meaningfully lower blood glucose levels and better body weight maintenance compared to untreated diabetic rats. Microscopic examination of pancreatic tissue in treated animals showed partial recovery of the islets of Langerhans — the clusters of cells responsible for insulin production — suggesting the combination may support pancreatic repair or protection rather than simply masking blood sugar readings. Safety testing following OECD guideline No. 423 found no deaths or severe toxic effects at doses up to 2000 mg/kg, which is a standard benchmark for acute oral safety screening. The study is notable for comparing a loose herbal formulation against a tablet form, testing whether the manufacturing process itself affects efficacy. While the results are promising at a preclinical level, this is an animal study only, and the findings cannot be directly applied to human use without further clinical investigation. The three-herb combination draws on traditional medicine systems where each plant has an independent history of use in metabolic conditions, making this a formulation-focused study rather than a single-ingredient investigation.