Common names: gymnema, gurmar, Australian cow plant
Family name: Aslepiadaeceae
Part(s) of the plant used: leaf
Native region and environment: a perennial vine native to Asia (including the Arabian Peninsula), Africa, and Australia; gymnema is a slow growing, perennial, woody climber, distributed throughout India, in dry forests up to 600 m height. It is mainly present in the tropical forests of Central and Southern India. It’s is a climber with soft hairs on the upper leaf surface.
This gymnema monograph provides basic information about gymnema—common names, usefulness and safety, and resources for more information. Browse more herbal monographs.
Gymnema has a long history of use in India’s Ayurvedic medicine. “It has deep roots in history, being one of the major botanicals used in the Ayurvedic system of medicine to treat conditions ranging from diabetes and malaria to snakebites.”[1] Healers in India and China have used gymnema to treat diabetes for 2,000 years. “The leaves of the plant in particular are used as a digestive, antiviral, diuretic, antiallergic, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and anti-obesity agent for the treatment of diabetes, obesity, and dental caries.”[2]
Gymnema constituents & diabetes
Gymnema is known as the sugar destroyer in Hindi, which makes it super helpful for those with T2DM. The leaves contain gymnemic acids, the major bioactive constituents that interact with taste receptors on the tongue to temporarily suppress the taste of sweetness. They also contain saponins and other organic compounds like resins, chlorophyll, and carbohydrates.[3] The gymnemasaponins are likely to be responsible for the hypoglycemic and antisaccharin effect of the plant. Studies have shown that gymnema reduced blood glucose levels in patients with type 1 diabetes orally administered 400 mg of a gymnema extract daily for 10 to 12 months and in patients with type 2 diabetes orally administered 400 mg of a gymnema extract daily for 18 to 20 months.”[4]
Gymnama safety and contraindications
With a safety rating of 1 and interaction class A, gymnema is generally a safe herb to take. People with diabetes are advised to monitor their blood sugar closely and discuss the use of this herb with a qualified healthcare practitioner prior to use. This herb should be ok for long-term use, but you should monitor your blood sugar level while taking it.
Potential Drug Interactions
None reported.
Gymnema preparation & dosing
Gymnema leaf is chewed on the Indian subcontinent to suppress the taste of sweetness. Try taking gymnema before heading to a party to curb your sweet tooth. If you are interested in working with a tincture or capsule format, I would recommend you buy this product from a specialty store, like Mountain Rose Herbs.
Daily Dosage Table: Gynema[4]
Format
Dosage
Preparation
Tincture
3 mL
Take with meals
Infusion
60g / 0.25Cup
Infuse in 8oz of boiling water for 10minutes
References
[1] Tiwari, P., Mishra, B. N., & Sangwan, N. S. (2014). Phytochemical and pharmacological properties of Gymnema sylvestre: an important medicinal plant. BioMed research international, 2014, 830285. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/830285
[2] Leach, M. (2007) Gymnema Sylvestre for Diabetes Mellitus: a systematic review. The Journal Of Alternative And Complementary Medicine 13(9) 977–983
[3] Saneja1, A., Sharma, C., Aneja, K.R., & Pahwa, R. (2010) Gymnema Sylvestre (Gurmar): A Review. Der Pharmacia Lettre 2 (1) 275-284
[4] Baskaran K, Kizar Ahamath B, Radha Shanmugasundaram K, Shanmugasundaram ER. Antidiabetic effect of a leaf extract from Gymnema sylvestre in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients. J Ethnopharmacol. 1990 Oct;30(3):295-300.
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PubMed Articles About
Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)[Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; [1988] – [cited 2018 Apr 5]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
To conduct an ethnobotanical survey and document the traditional anticancer and antidiabetic plants used by the local tribes of Mizoram, Northeast India.
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with the progression of cognitive dysfunction. Physical activity benefits cognition, but no evidence from randomized clinical trials has shown whether tai chi chuan has better long-term benefits than fitness walking in cognitive function for patients with T2D and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) accounts for >90% of the cases of diabetes in adults. Resistance to insulin action is the major cause that leads to chronic hyperglycemia in diabetic patients. T2DM is the consequence of activation of multiple pathways and factors involved in insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction. Also, the etiology of T2DM involves the complex interplay between genetics and environmental factors. This interplay can be governed efficiently by lifestyle modifications to achieve better management of diabetes. The present review aims at discussing the major factors involved in the development of T2DM that remain unfocussed during the anti-diabetic therapy. The review also focuses on lifestyle modifications that are warranted for the successful management of T2DM. In addition, it attempts to explain flaws in current strategies to combat diabetes. The employability of phytoconstituents as multitargeting molecules and their potential use as effective therapeutic adjuvants to first line hypoglycemic agents to prevent side effects caused by the synthetic drugs are also discussed.
Obesity and diabetes are closely related metabolic disorders that have become major public health concerns worldwide. Over the past few decades, numerous studies have explored the underlying mechanisms of these disorders and identified various risk factors, including genetics, lifestyle, and dietary habits. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been increasingly recognized for its potential to manage obesity and diabetes. Weight loss is difficult to sustain, and several diabetic therapies, such as sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, and insulin, might make it harder to lose weight. While lifestyle changes should be the primary approach for people interested in lowering weight, drugs are also worth investigating. Since some of the newer glucose-lowering medications that cause weight loss, such as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), are additionally utilized or are under consideration for use as anti-obesity drugs, the frontier between glucose-lowering medication and weight loss drugs appears to be shifting. This review provides an overview of the literature on the underlying mechanisms of obesity and diabetes and the prospect of TCM in their management. We discuss the various TCM interventions, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, and dietary therapy, and their effects on metabolic health. We also highlight the potential of TCM in regulating gut microbiota, reducing inflammation, and improving insulin sensitivity. The findings suggest that TCM may provide a promising approach to preventing and managing obesity and diabetes. However, further well-designed studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of TCM interventions and to elucidate their underlying mechanisms of action.
Plant-derived phytochemicals have been interested in as nutraceuticals for preventing the onset and progress of diabetes mellitus and its serious complications in recent years. Lam. is used in vegetables and in herbal medicine for its health-promoting properties against various diseases including diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to examine an effect of on diabetic hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia by meta-analyzing the current evidence of diabetic rodent models. Peer-reviewed studies written in English from two databases, PubMed and Embase, were searched to 30 April 2021. Studies reporting blood glucose or lipid levels in diabetic rodents with and without receiving extracts of were included. Forty-four studies enrolling 349 diabetic rodents treated with extracts of and 350 diabetic controls reported blood glucose levels. The pooled effect size was -3.92 (95% CI: -4.65 to -3.19) with a substantial heterogeneity. This effect was likely to be, at least in part, modified by the type of diabetic models. Moreover, diabetic hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia were also significantly improved in diabetic rodent models treated with .
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PubMed Articles About
Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)[Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; [1988] – [cited 2018 Apr 5]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
