Diabetes mellitus(DM) is a widely spread epidemic dis ease that results from the absence of insulin, decreased secretion and/or impaired function. Since DM is a multi factorial disease, the available pharmaceuticals, despite their sensible treatment, target mostly one pathway to control hyperglycemia and encounter several side effects. Therefore, new therapeutic paradigms aim to hit several pathways using only one agent. Tradition ally, antidiabetic plants and/or their active constituents may fulfill this need. More than 200 species of plants possess antidiabetic properties which were evaluated mostly by screening tests without digging far for the exact mode of action. Searching among the differen literature resources and various database and in view o the above aspects, the present article provides a com prehensive review on the available antidiabetic plants that have been approved by pharmacological and clini cal evaluations, and which their mechanism(s) of ac tion is assured. These plants are categorized according to their proved mode of action and are classified into those that act by inhibiting glucose absorption from in testine, increasing insulin secretion from the pancreasinhibiting glucose production from hepatocytes, or enhancing glucose uptake by adipose and muscle tissues. The current review also highlights those that mimic in their action the new peptide analogs, such as exenatide, liraglutide and dipeptidylpeptidase-4 inhibitors that increase glucagon-like peptide-1 serum concentration and slow down the gastric emptying. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a widely spread epidemic dis ease that results from the absence of insulin, decreased secretion and / or impaired function. Since DM is a multi factorial disease, the available pharmaceuticals, despite their sensible treatment, target mostly one pathway to Therefore, new therapeutic paradigms aim to hit several pathways using only one agent. Tradition ally, antidiabetic plants and / or their active constituents may fulfill this need. More than 200 species of plants possess antidiabetic properties which were searched mostly by screening tests without digging far for the exact mode of action. Searching among the differen literature resources and various databases and in view o the above aspects, the present article provides a com prehensive review on the available antidiabetic plants that have been approved by pharmacological and clini cal evaluations, and which their mechanism (s) of ac tion is assured plants are categorized according to their proven mode of action and are classified into those that act by inhibiting glucose absorption from in testine, increasing insulin secretion from the pancreas inhibiting glucose production from hepatocytes, or enhancing glucose uptake by adipose and muscle tissues. The current review also highlights those that mimic in their action the new peptide analogs, such as exenatide, liraglutide and dipeptidylpeptidase-4 inhibitors that increase glucagon-like peptide-1 serum concentration and slow down the gastric emptying.