Health Benefits of the Gymnema Sylvestre Plant

Other Common Names: Gurmarbooti, gurmar, Gymnema Sylvestre

Range: Deccan peninsula, Assam, and some parts of Africa.

Gymnema sylvestre (GS) is a woody climbing plant that grows in the tropical forests of central and southern India. The leaves are used in herbal medicine preparations. G. sylvestre is known as "periploca of the woods" in English and mesbasringi (meaning "ram's horn") in Sanskrit. The leaves, when chewed, interfere with the ability to taste sweetness, which explains the Hindi name gurmar - "destroyer of sugar."

Plant constituents include two resins (one soluble in alcohol), gymnemic acids, saponins, stigmasterol, quercitol, and the amino acid derivatives betaine, choline and trimethylamine.

Gymnema sylvestre is a stomachic, diuretic, refrigerant, astringent, and tonic. It has been found to increase urine output and reduce hyperglycemia in both animal and human studies.

Gymnema has been used in India for the treatment of diabetes for over 2,000 years. The primary application was for adult-onset diabetes, a condition for which it continues to be recommended today in India. The leaves were also used for stomach ailments, constipation, water retention, and liver disease.

Extracts of G. sylvestre given to patients with type I diabetes on insulin therapy reduces insulin requirements and fasting blood sugar levels, and improves blood sugar control. In a study of type II diabetics, gyrmnema extract given along with oral hypoglycemic drugs was shown to improve blood sugar control and to either lead to discontinuation of the medicine or a significantly reduced dosage. It is interesting to note that gymnema extract given to healthy volunteers does not produce any blood sugar-lowering, or hypoglycemic, effects.

Gymnema sylvestre is one of the Asclepiad strains that grows in South-east Asia. Their therapeutic effects for treating diabetes mellitus, rheumatic arthritis and gout have been well known for a long time. However, the problem is that GS suppresses sweetness and tastes bitter. For this study, we chose Gymnema inodorum (GI) instead of GS, since it has an advantage that it does not suppress sweetness nor is it bitter in taste. Our studies suggest that the component of GI inhibits the increase in the blood glucose level by interfering with the intestinal glucose absorption process.

The effectiveness of GS4, an extract from the leaves of Gymnema sylvestre, in controlling hyperglycemia was investigated in 22 Type 2 diabetic patients on conventional oral anti-hyperglycemic agents. GS4 (400 mg/day) was administered for 18-20 months as a supplement to the conventional oral drugs. During GS4 supplementation, the patients showed a significant reduction in blood glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin and glycosylated plasma proteins, and conventional drug dosage could be decreased. Five of the 22 diabetic patients were able to discontinue their conventional drug and maintain their blood glucose homeostasis with GS4 alone. These data suggest that the beta cells may be regenerated/repaired in Type 2 diabetic patients on GS4 supplementation. This is supported by the appearance of raised insulin levels in the serum of patients after GS4 supplementation.



No side effects have been reported from using this Ayurvedic botanical. Safety in pregnancy has not been established.

  • Shimizu K, Ozeki M, Tanaka K, Itoh K, Nakajyo S, Urakawa N, Atsuchi M. Suppression of glucose absorption by extracts from the leaves of Gymnema inodorum.
  • Baskaran K, Kizar Ahamath B, Radha Shanmugasundaram K, Shanmugasundaram ER J Ethnopharmacol 1990 Oct;30(3):295-300 - Antidiabetic effect of a leaf extract from Gymnema sylvestre in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients.