**10. Documentation of anti-diabetic potentials of selected Nigerian indigenous plant foods**

The 1978 Alma Ata declared that traditional medicine is the surest means to achieve total health care coverage of the world's population. This has encouraged the use of medicinal plants. Currently, the active ingredients in most plants with anti-diabetic potentials are elucidated pharmacologically. Consequently, it was a bit difficult to identify edible Nigerian indigenous plants from huge database on medicinal plants. Information on their constituents of nutritional importance was lacking. Invariably, not all traditional medicinal plants qualify as plant foods. Bosch et al. [91] as cited in Ogbu et al. [92] reported that the total number of species of edible plants in primary use in Africa is 1004. However, a little above 50% of the number of medicinal plants was reported as 1975. In Nigeria, Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) shows that 20 species of the plants were in extinction since 1950. Another 431 species are endangered, 45 species are classified as rare, 20 species are vulnerable and 305 species are endemic [93]. Not all plants with antidiabetic potentials published online may be available or edible in Nigeria. The local herbalists keep secret the information on health benefits of indigenous crops to enhance their patronage. Preliminary identification of the anti-diabetic potentials of these plant foods becomes necessary to improve their food diversification and consumption.
