Hindawi Publishing Corporation Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2013, Article ID 929074, 8 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/929074 Research Article Evaluation of Antidiabetic Activity and Associated Toxicity of Artemisia afra Aqueous Extract in Wistar Rats Taofik O. Sunmonu and Anthony J. Afolayan Research Center for Phytomedicine, Department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa Correspondence should be addressed to Anthony J. Afolayan; aafolayan@uf.ac.za Received 31 March 2013; Revised 15 May 2013; Accepted 20 May 2013 Academic Editor: Mohamed Eddouks Copyright © 2013 T. O. Sunmonu and A. J. Afolayan. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Artemisia afra Jacq. ex Willd. is a widely used medicinal plant in South Africa for the treatment of diabetes. Tis study aimed to evaluate the hypoglycemic activity and possible toxicity efect of aqueous leaf extract of the herb administered at diferent dosages for 15 days in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Administration of the extract at 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg body weight signifcantly ( < 0.05) increased body weight, decreased blood glucose levels, increased glucose tolerance, and improved imbalance in lipid metabolism in diabetic rats. Tese are indications of antidiabetic property of A. afra with 200 mg/kg body weight of the extract showing the best hypoglycemic action by comparing favourably well with glibenclamide, a standard hypoglycemic drug. Te extract at all dosages tested also restored liver function indices and haematological parameters to normal control levels in the diabetic rats, whereas the kidney function indices were only normalized in the diabetic animals administered with 50 mg/kg body weight of the extract. Tis investigation clearly showed that in addition to its hypoglycemic activity, A. afra may also protect the liver and blood against impairment due to diabetes. However, some kidney functions may be compromised at high dosages of the extract. 1. Introduction Diabetes mellitus is a major endocrine disorder and growing health problem in most countries. It is a metabolic disease as old as mankind; and its incidence is considered high all over the world [1]. Increase in sedentary lifestyle, consumption of energy-rich diets, and obesity are some of the factors causing the rise in the number of diabetics. Te World Health Organization (WHO) estimated diabetes in adults to be around 173 million, and about two-thirds of these patients live in developing countries [2]. Te prevalence of diabetes is on the increase worldwide including South Africa; and it is still expected to increase by 5.4% in 2025 [3]. WHO further reports that over 4.8 million annual deaths (9% of global total) are attributable to either diabetes or its complications [4]. Despite these alarming statistics, there is no specifc and defnite therapy currently for diabetes. However, a few chemotherapeutic drugs have been in use to manage the disease since the accidental discovery of the hypoglycemic action of sulfonamides [5]. Te thrust of such management measures is to achieve an efective blood glucose control or utilization, with a view to delaying or averting the onset of complications. Te application of these measures is, however, limited due to their high cost and associated side efects. Consequently, attention is being focused on the use of herbal medicines for the treatment of diabetes. In traditional African societies, phytotherapy is highly valued and widely utilized. South Africa, particularly, has remarkable biodiversity and rich cultural traditions of plant use. Hence, it is not surprising why the majority of the population in South Africa use plant materials as their source of primary healthcare and as an alternative or supplement to visiting western healthcare practitioners [6]. Tis is particu- larly true for the treatment of diabetes, and WHO has also authenticated phytotherapeutic approach to the treatment of the disease [7, 8]. Te use of natural remedies for diabetes treatment is also strengthened due to the belief that herbs can provide some benefts over allopathic medicine and allows users to feel that they have some control in their choice of medication [9]. However, their general acceptability has been limited by lack of dose regimen and adequate data