Commonly referred to as ‘daun rerama’, Christia vespertilionis has increased in popularity in traditional and modern medicine. This review aims to report the relevance of this plant in terms of its traditional uses, pharmacological actions, phytoconstituents, extractions methods, and identify the research gaps and future potentials. The review is conducted as per PRISMA guidelines; a database search was conducted in Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus and Google Scholar from 1996 to 2021. Results show that to date, phytochemicals such as alkaloids, flavonoids, quinones, and others have been identified, corresponding to its range of pharmacological activities that include anti-cancer, anti-malaria, and antioxidant. There have also been claims of antidiabetic activity but not supported by enough scientific evidence. Study on molecular and gene expression was still lacking. There is a good future in the research of this plant with many potential aspects to be investigated.

Prediabetes is a condition in which blood glucose level is above the normal but below the diagnostic value of diabetes mellitus. Hyperglycaemia can upregulate markers of chronic inflammation and contribute to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which ultimately causes increased oxidative stress. This leads to beta-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance, which are involved in the pathogenesis of prediabetes status. Proper treatment of hyperglycaemia, inhibition of ROS overproduction, and suppression of inflammation are crucial for delaying the onset of diabetes. Therefore, it is essential to determine and understand the mechanisms involved in prediabetes. This review discusses the relationship between oxidative stress and prediabetes, along with the inflammation’s role in prediabetes. Additionally, the effects of some biomarkers of oxidative stress in prediabetes, inflammatory markers, and their influence on chronic inflammation are also briefly reviewed. Finally, the role of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory markers are discussed.