Abstract: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic, progressive systemic disease characterized by pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance. The primary symptom of this disease is elevated blood glucose levels. Medicine food homologous plants (MFP) contain a variety of hypoglycemic ingredients, including non-volatile substances (polysaccharides, polyphenols, alkaloids, saponins, proteins and amino acids) and volatile substances such as plant essential oils. These ingredients exhibit minimal adverse effects and play an important role in preventing and treating diabetes. The incorporation of combinations of MFP or their extracts rich in hypoglycemic ingredients into seasonings, beverages, pastries and other foods as daily dietary supplements holds promising potential for alleviating the symptoms of hyperglycemia. This review summarizes the progress that has been made in the identification, evaluation, clinical and food applications of hypoglycemic ingredients in MFP over the past decade, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for the exploration and identification of new hypoglycemic agents and for the development of functional foods with hypoglycemic properties.

Key words: medicine food homologous plants; hypoglycemic activity; hypoglycemic mechanism; structural characterization; application