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It was confirmed that extracts of some plants were used in folklore medicine as hypoglycemic agents. Of these plants is Azadirachta indica ("neem"), which grows in tropical regions. The present study deals with biochemical effects of the "neem" leaf water extract given orally to experimental animals, especially the hypoglycemic characteristics. Normals as well as alloxan diabetic rats have been used in this work. The results showed that the "neem" leaf extract produced some hypoglycemia in normal rats when given in two doses, while in diabetic rats there was a decrease in blood sugar, but it could not alleviate the diabetic state. However, the "neem" leaf extract produced some toxic effects in rats, as observed in body weight loss and high percentage mortality, especially with a high dose. It was observed that the clotting time of blood was higher than that of the normal. Serum cholesterol level increased with concomitant decrease in the liver fat as compared to normal levels. There was also a drop in liver proteins which was dose-related. The results were compared with those obtained with an oral hypoglycemic drug (Glibenclamide).
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