Gurmar
Gymnema sylvestre
Other names: Meshashringi (मेषश्रृंगी), Gurmar ('sugar destroyer'), Madhunashini, Gurmar
Photo credit: Lalithamba (Flickr)
Safety information
Safety information
Toxicity: Mild; main risk is hypoglycemia, especially with diabetes medication. Rare hepatotoxicity reports.
Contraindications: Diabetes on glucose-lowering drugs/insulin (risk of hypoglycemia — needs monitoring); pregnancy/lactation (insufficient data); before surgery.
Interactions: Antidiabetic drugs/insulin (additive hypoglycemia — clinically important), possibly aspirin (additive glucose lowering).
Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Insufficient data.
Evidence level
Supported by clinical trials in humans.
Preparations
standardized extract (gymnemic acids) · leaf
Part used: leaf
Traditional use: antidiabetic — lowers blood sugar, suppresses sweet taste/sugar cravings
Proposed mechanism: Gymnemic acids transiently block sweet taste receptors, slow intestinal glucose absorption, increase insulin secretion, may support beta-cell regeneration (preclinical)
Dosage note (descriptive only): Small trials used standardized leaf extracts ~200-400 mg twice daily; glucose monitoring essential with diabetes drugs
Associated conditions
Nutritional notes
N/A; bioactives are gymnemic acids (triterpenoid saponins).
Healing traditions
Sources (3)
- Khan 2019, Front Pharmacol (PMID 31736747)
- Patel 2012, Asian Pac J Trop Biomed (PMID 23569923)
- Ota 2017, Front Pharmacol (PMID 28729836)