Nutritional Supplement

Gymnema

Also indexed as: Gymnema sylvestre

Side Effects

Used at the amounts suggested, gymnema is generally safe and devoid of side effects. However, there is one case report of toxic hepatitis, possibly due to the use of gymnema.26 The safety of gymnema during pregnancy and breast-feeding has not yet been determined. People with diabetes should only use gymnema to lower blood sugar under the clinical supervision of a healthcare professional. Gymnema cannot be used in place of insulin to control blood sugar by people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

References

1. Mhasker KS, Caius JF. A study of Indian medicinal plants. II. Gymnema sylvestre R.Br. Indian J Med Res Memoirs 1930;16:2-75.

2. Sugihara Y, Nojima H, Matsuda H, et al. Antihyperglycemic effects of gymnemic acid IV, a compound derived from Gymnema sylvestre leaves in streptozotocin-diabetic mice. J Asian Nat Prod Res 2000;2:321-7.

3. Murakami N, Murakami T, Kadoya M, et al. New hypoglycemic constituents in "gymnemic acid" from Gymnema sylvestre. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 1996;44:469-71.

4. Shanmugasundaram KR, Panneerselvam C, Sumudram P, Shanmugasundaram ERB. Insulinotropic activity of G. sylvestre, R.Br. and Indian medicinal herb used in controlling diabetes mellitus. Pharmacol Res Commun 1981;13:475-86.

5. Shanmugasundaram ER, Gopinath KL, Radha Shanmugasundaram K, Rajendran VM. Possible regeneration of the islets of Langerhans in streptozotocin diabetic rats given Gymnema sylvestre leaf extracts. J Ethnopharmacol 1990;30:265-79.

6. Prakash AO, Mather S, Mather R. Effect of feeding Gymnema sylvestre leaves on blood glucose in beryllium nitrate treated rats. J Ethnopharmacol 1986;18:143-4.

7. Persaud SJ, Al-Majed H, Raman A, Jones PM. Gymnema sylvestre stimulates insulin release in vitro by increased membrane permeability. J Endocrinol 1999;163:207-12.

8. Shimizu K, Iino A, Nakajima J, et al. Suppression of glucose absorption by some fractions extracted from Gymnema sylvestre leaves. J Vet Med Sci1997;59:245-51.

9. [No authors listed]Gymnema sylvestre. Altern Med Rev 1999;4:46-7.

10. Gholap S, Kar A. Effects of Inula racemosa root and Gymnema sylvestre leaf extracts in the regulation of corticosteroid induced diabetes mellitus: involvement of thyroid hormones. Pharmazie 2003;58:413-5.

11. Bishayee A, Chatterjee M. Hypolipidemic and antiatherosclerotic effects of oral Gymnema sylvestre R.Br. leaf extract in albino rats fed on a high fat diet. Phytother Res 1994;8:118-20.

12. Shigematsu N, Asano R, Shimosaka M, Okazaki M. Effect of administration with the extract of Gymnema sylvestre R. Br leaves on lipid metabolism in rats. Biol Pharm Bull 2001;24:713-7.

13. Shigematsu N, Asano R, Shimosaka M, Okazaki M. Effect of long term-administration with Gymnema sylvestre R. BR on plasma and liver lipid in rats. Biol Pharm Bull 2001;24:643-9.

14. Nakamura Y, Tsumura Y, Tonogai Y, Shibata T. Fecal steroid excretion is increased in rats by oral administration of gymnemic acids contained in Gymnema sylvestre leaves. J Nutr 1999;129:1214-22.

15. Min BC, Sakamoto K. Influence of sweet suppressing agent on gustatory brain evoked potentials generated by taste stimuli. Appl Human Sci 1998;17:9-17.

16. Gent JF, Hettinger TP, Frank ME, Marks LE. Taste confusions following gymnemic acid rinse. Chem Senses 1999;24:393-403.

17. Pothuraju R, Sharma R, Chagalamarri J, et al. A systematic review of Gymnema sylvestre in obesity and diabetes management. J Sci Food Agric 2014;94:834–40.

18. Baskaran K, Kizar Ahamath B, Radha Shanmugasundaram K, Shanmugasundaram E. Antidiabetic effect of a leaf extract from Gymnema sylvestre in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients. J Ethnopharmacol 1990;30:295–300.

19. Kumar S, Mani U, Mani I. An open label study on the supplementation of Gymnema sylvestre in type 2 diabetics. J Diet Suppl 2010;7:273–82.

20. Al-Romaiyan A, Liu B, Asare-Anane H, et al. A novel Gymnema sylvestre extract stimulates insulin secretion from human islets in vivo and in vitro. Phytother Res 2010;24:1370–6.

21. Li Y, Zheng M, Zhai X, et al. Effect of Gymnema sylvestre, Citrus colocynthis and Artemisia absinthum on blood glucose and lipid profile in diabetic human. Acta Pol Pharm 2015;72:981–5.

22. Tiwari P, Ahmad K, Baig M. Gymnema sylvestre for Diabetes: From Traditional Herb to Future's Therapeutic. Curr Pharm Des 2017;23:1667–76.

23. Shenoy R, Prashanth K, Manonmani H. In Vitro Antidiabetic Effects of Isolated Triterpene Glycoside Fraction from Gymnema sylvestre.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2018;2018:7154702.

24. Shanmugasundaram E, Rajeswari G, Baskaran K, et al. Use of Gymnema sylvestre leaf extract in the control of blood glucose in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. J Ethnopharmacol 1990;30:281–94.

25. Joffe DJ, Freed SH. Effect of extended release gymnema sylvestre leaf extract (Beta Fast GXR) alone or in combination with oral hypoglycemics or insulin regimens for type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes In Control Newsletter 2001;76:no page number.

26. Shiyovich A, Sztarkier I, Nesher L. Toxic hepatitis induced by Gymnema sylvestre, a natural remedy for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Am J Med Sci 2010 Dec;340:514–7.

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The information presented by TraceGains is for informational purposes only. It is based on scientific studies (human, animal, or in vitro), clinical experience, or traditional usage as cited in each article. The results reported may not necessarily occur in all individuals. For many of the conditions discussed, treatment with prescription or over the counter medication is also available. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires December 2024.