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Gymnema sylvestre

Gymnema sylvestre is a plant that belongs to the family Asclepiadaceae. The plant grows principally in Central and Western India, in tropical Africa and in Australia. The fresh plant material of Gymnema sylvestre has been found to contain gymnemic acids, gymnemagenin, and gymnemasides. The leaves of Gymnema sylvestre have been used by traditional medical practitioners of India to treat diabetic conditions for several centuries. Gymnema sylvestre extract inhibits the absorption of glucose through the intestinal tract and thus assists in prevention of obesity. Aqueous extracts from the leaves of Gymnema sylvestre have been reported to inhibit, temporarily, the taste of sweet substances. It has also been reported that the raw leaves of G. sylvestre have been used in India as a folk medicine for various afflictions including diabetes mellitus. Gymnema sylvestre has also been studied for its anti-sweet properties, for its ability to inhibit small intestine absorption of glucose, and for its ability to suppress increases in blood glucose levels following glucose administration.

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