Herbal medicines have traditionally been used for the treatment of
diabetes and its complications. In fact, current pre-clinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that many of them exhibit potent antiinflammatory
and anti-oxidative properties, and have also identified the active phytochemicals responsible for their activities. The present
review summarises the latest research on the molecular mechanisms of diabetic vascular complications, and evaluates the level of scientific
evidence for common herbal medicines and their bioactive phytochemicals.