Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a long-term metabolic disorder characterised by disturbances in the metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. It ranks as the fifth most common cause of mortality worldwide, and its prevalence is rising. The International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have both noted that the number of acute and chronic diabetic cases is rising exponentially. In the management of diabetes, synthetic drugs provide symptomatic treatment only and often fail to provide desirable effects. As a result, researchers have been looking into alternative medicine and plant-derived drugs are gaining popularity day by day. Owing to their lesser side effects, capacity to produce action without affecting internal homeostasis and treatment compliance have resulted in the popularity of herbal drugs. Plants contain many phytochemicals, such as tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenes etc., that have shown immense pharmacological actions against different ailments and disorders. Alkaloids and their derivatives are a major class of natural chemicals that are commonly used as pharmacologically active agents against a range of multiple diseases. Multiple alkaloids that were isolated from various medicinal plants were discovered to be effective in the management of diabetes. Glucose transporters, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, glycogen synthase kinase-3, and AMP-activated protein kinase are a few of the candidate targets that are either inhibited or induced by alkaloids to control glucose metabolism. Flavonoids present in the form of flavones, catechins, flavanols, and flavanones are another class of plant derived compounds known to possess antidiabetic activity. Flavonoids have the potential of stabilising, sustaining, and improving insulin secretion and correct the altered glucose levels in diabetic conditions.