| abstract |
The present invention provides materials and methods relating to mildly polar fluid extracts of plant materials, such as Artemisia plant species, useful in methods for treating diabetes and methods for modulating the activity of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), and in methods for modulating phosphoenol pyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) activity in a diabetes-specific manner. The extracts are generally non-toxic and non-mutagenic and may be administered to diabetics with beneficial effect on blood glucose levels. The extracts may also be administered to non-diabetics without deleterious effect. The plants are easily grown with a minimum of time, labor, and cost. Extracts are inexpensively and quickly prepared without the need for fractionation to remove potentially deleterious compounds, and the extracts may be administered to mammals such as humans through various routes, in a variety of forms, and at convenient concentrations. |