Diabetes 25 Herbal Remedies - 1

Herbal - 01 Gymnema Sylvestre

GYMNEMA SYLVESTRE, an Ayurvedic herb, came to be known as "destroyer of sugar" because, in ancient times, Ayurvedic physicians observed that chewing a few leaves of Gymnema sylvestre suppressed the taste of sugar.  

Gymnema Sylvestre commonly known as Meshashringi or Gurmar, means "sugar destroyer," because it masks the body's sense of taste to sugar. It supports the pancreas in insulin production in type 2 diabetes. It improves the ability of insulin in lowering glucose level in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Additionally, it decreases cravings for sweet. This is a substitute for oral blood-sugar-lowering drugs in type 2 diabetes. Take 500 mg per day of gymnema extract for a better result.

Other common names for gymnema are Gokhru (Unani), Gurmar (Hindi), Meshashringi (Sanskrit), Sirukurinjan (Tamil), Vishani (Sanskrit).

Gymnema sylvestre has been used for the treatment of diabetes for over 2,000 years. The leaves, when chewed, interfere with the ability to taste sweetness, which explains the Hindi name gurmar—“destroyer of sugar.” Gymnema sylvestre is known as Periploca of the woods in English and meshasringi (meaning “ram’s horn”) in Sanskrit. The primary application was for adult-onset diabetes (NIDDM), a condition for which it continues to be recommended today in India. The major phytoconstituent Gymnemic acid have been shown to block sweet taste in humans.

The effectiveness of Gymnema sylvestre extract is clinically proven in 22 Type 2 diabetes patients. It was administered for 18-20 months as a supplement to the conventional oral drugs. During the 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 the extract alone. These data suggest that the beta cells may be regenerated/repaired in Type 2 diabetic patients on Gymnema sylvestre extract supplementation. This is supported by the appearance of raised insulin levels in the serum of patients after supplementation.

Therapeutic benefits of Gymnema Sylvestre are:

1. It has been in use for thousands of years as an herbal treatment for diabetes. It can block the absorption of glucose from the intestines and helps to reduce cravings for sugar. It has also suggested for herbal weight loss applications. Chewing the leaves, or taking it in capsule form, can alter the taste of sugar and reduce the sweetness.
2. It helps to reduce the carbohydrates stored as fat and increases the amount burned for energy. This leads to a reduction in fat stores and increase in energy available.
3. It may reduce the amount of triglycerides and LDL (bad cholesterol) in the bloodstream thus, risk towards cardiac problems in reduced.
4. It has slight diuretic effect, useful to treat water retention and may help lower blood pressure.
5. It is useful to treat stomach ailments, constipation, and liver disease.
6. Rheumatoid arthritis and gout have also been treating effectively.
7. It also has antibacterial and antiviral properties in liquid applications.

Side effects of Gymnema

Generally, gymnema is safe. However, pregnant and lactating mothers, and children are not recommended to take gymnema. 

In addition, if you are taking any hypoglymiant drug, you should be close to your doctor in order to adjust their dosage. Gymnema has been related to hypoglycemia in these cases. 

When taking an appropriate dosage, gymnema is safe, although extensive studies have not performed. One obvious risk is that if gymnema is successful, it may lower blood-sugar levels too far, causing a dangerous hypoglycemic reaction. For this reason, medical supervision is essential.

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