Gymnema sylvestre is a medicinal plant, popularly used to help treat diabetes, as it has a hypoglycemic action that helps control blood sugar levels, increase insulin production and facilitate sugar metabolism.
This medicinal plant is rich in gurmarin, gymnemic acid and gymnemasaponins, which give it hypoglycemic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory medicinal properties, and can also be used for weight loss.
Gymnema sylvestre, also known as Gurmar, can be found in health food stores and compounding pharmacies, and should be used under medical advice or from a herbalist.
What is it for
Gymnema sylvestre is indicated for:
1. Lower blood sugar
Gymnema sylvestre is rich in gurmarins, gymnemic acid, gymnemasaponins and stigmasterol, with hypoglycemic action, which reduces the absorption of sugar from food in the intestines, helping to reduce blood sugar levels.
Therefore, this medicinal plant can be used to help treat diabetes and pre-diabetes.
2. Help control diabetes
Gymnema sylvestre has antidiabetic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which help to stimulate the regeneration of β-cells in the pancreas and thus increase insulin production.
Thus, Gymnema sylvestre helps reduce blood glucose levels and control diabetes.
3. Promote weight loss
The gymnemic acid present in Gymnema sylvestre can also help with weight loss, as it changes the taste of sweet foods, helps reduce appetite and the desire for sweet foods, leading to lower calorie intake during the day.
In this way, Gymnema sylvestre can help in the treatment of obesity or overweight.
4. Lower cholesterol
Gymnema sylvestre leaf extract is rich in flavonoids, saponins and tannins, with antioxidant and hypolipidemic action, which help lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides, and increase good cholesterol (HDL).
5. Help in the treatment of arthritis
Gymnema sylvestre in the form of an aqueous or alcoholic extract can help reduce the release of inflammatory substances, which may be useful in treating arthritis.
6. Eliminate fungi and bacteria
Studies carried out in the laboratory (1,2) showed that the alcoholic extract of Gymnema sylvestre leaves has antimicrobial action, against microorganisms, such as E. coli, B. cereus, C. albicans e C. kefir.
This property of Gymnema sylvestre can help fight infections, however, more studies are still needed to prove this benefit.
How to use
The part used of Gymnema sylvestre is its leaf, from which substances with medicinal properties are extracted to prepare tea, capsules, aqueous extract or tincture.
1. Chá of Gymnema sylvestre
Gymnema sylvestre tea can be used to help control diabetes, due to its hypoglycemic and antidiabetic properties.
Ingredients
- 1 dessert spoon of dried Gymnema sylvestre leaves;
- 1 cup of water.
Preparation mode
Bring the water to a boil, turn off the heat and add the boiling water to the cup with the dry Gymnema sylvestre leaves. Let it rest for about 10 minutes. Then strain, wait for it to cool, and drink 1 cup up to 3 times a day.
2. Capsules of Gymnema sylvestre
Gymnema sylvestre capsules must be taken orally, with a dose of 1 capsule of 400 mg being normally recommended, twice a day, taken 15 minutes before the main meals, such as lunch and dinner.
Gymnema sylvestre capsules should always be used with medical or herbalist guidance, according to the condition to be treated, with individualized doses.
3. Gymnema sylvestre aqueous extract
The 20% aqueous extract of Gymnema sylvestre can be found in spray form and used to reduce the desire to eat sweets.
The normally recommended dose is to apply 2 sprays of the spray under the tongue, when the person feels like eating sweets.
4. Tintura of Gymnema sylvestre
Gymnema sylvestre 20% tincture can be used to help control diabetes, weight loss or high cholesterol, for example.
The normally recommended dose is 20 to 30 drops of the tincture, diluted in 200 mL of water, and taken before lunch and dinner.
Possible side effects
The most common side effects of Gymnema sylvestre are changes in taste, headache, nausea, tremor or dizziness.
Furthermore, as it reduces blood sugar levels, Gymnema Sylvestre can cause hypoglycemia. Know how to identify the symptoms of hypoglycemia.
Gymnema sylvestre can also cause liver toxicity, especially when used in doses greater than those recommended.
Who shouldn’t use
Gymnema sylvestre should not be used by children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, or people with liver disease.
Furthermore, diabetic people should only use Gymnema sylvestre under medical advice, as it may interfere with diabetes medications and increase the risk of hypoglycemia.
Gymnema sylvestre should not be used for more than 20 months of treatment, and it is also recommended to stop its use for at least 2 weeks before any surgery.
