The study of metformin and its hypoglycemic effects originated from the study of
goat’s rue plants, also known as Galega officinalis(French lilac). Goat’s
rues are native plants in the Middle East and introduced to Europe later and have
been used as forage and ornamental plants throughout the world, including China.
As early as in the Middle Ages in Europe, it was found that goat’s rues could ease
polyuria, which is one of the typical symptoms of diabetes. While goat’s rues were
used to treat a variety of other diseases in the Middle Ages, it was found to cause
poisoning symptoms in livestock. Goat’s rues are still used as medical plants at
present, mainly for diabetes, diuretic, hepatoprotection, aiding in digestion and promoting lactation, etc. In China, goat’s rues were recorded first in the dictionary of
Chinese seed plants and mainly used for the treatment of diabetes. However, because
of high toxicity, it is rarely used in traditional Chinese medicines at present.
