The Place of Fruits and Herbal Medicines in the Treatment of Diabetes in Pregnancy: Two Sides of the Coin.

AIMS: One in ten pregnant women with diabetes turns to herbal products due to certain concerns about pharmacological agents. Although herbal medicines have been used since ancient times, their nonstandardized formulations and methods of use may endanger the health of the mother and fetus. Therefore, herbal medicines should be comprehensively evaluated in terms of efficacy, side effects, toxicity, and drug interactions, and approached with caution. On the other hand, it is important to approach the subject objectively without disregarding herbs that can truly benefit the mother and fetus. We aim to shed light on this subject for both pregnant women and physicians.

METHODS

A targeted PubMed/MEDLINE search (inception-November 2025) was conducted using combinations of pregnancy/diabetes terms with herbal medicine and safety keywords, repeated for each herb discussed. Eligible evidence was summarized through qualitative synthesis with emphasis on glycemic outcomes and maternal-fetal safety.

LITERATURE

RESULTS

Diabetes treatment during pregnancy includes lifestyle changes, pharmacological treatment, and herbal medicines. Lifestyle changes are effective in most patients. Pharmacological treatment is considered for patients whose diabetes cannot be controlled through lifestyle changes. However, pharmacological agents are limited due to the risk of teratogenicity. Furthermore, pregnant women's fear of the side effects of medical drugs, the lower cost and easier availability of herbal medicines, and their perception as a natural and harmless alternative based on ancient traditions lead pregnant women to use herbal medicines.

CONCLUSIONS

In this review, we scientifically evaluate herbal medicines used in the treatment of diabetes during pregnancy in terms of their place, importance, and considerations.