Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy by hyperglycemia. To find natural agents improving diabetic nephropathy, 63 natural resources which used to the treatment of diabetes mellitus in a folk remedy were investigated with an in vitro system employing radical scavenging activity and inhibitory activity of AGEs formation. In results, the extracts of Aspalathus linearis, Rubus coreanus, Rosa rugosa, and Epimedium koreanum significantly inhibited the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical with $IC_{50}$ values less than $10{mu}g/ml$. The extracts of Zea mays, Cucurbita moschata, Cudrania tricuspidata, and Aspalathus linearis effectively reduced the formation of AGEs compared with the positive control $N-acetyl-_L-cystenine$ (NAC) and aminoguanidine (AG). In addition, the extracts of Aspalathus linearis, Commelina communis, Cornus officinalis, and Lespodeza cuneata showed the all inhibitory activity against DPPH radical and AGEs formation. Also, these resources definitely showed the radical scavenging activity against peroxynitrite $(ONOO^-)$ and hydroxyl radical $({cdot}OH)$ relating to high glucose-induced ROS production. Thus, these results suggest that some natural resources may regulate the initiation and progression of diabetic nephropathy through inhibition of ROS production and AGEs formation.