Gymnema Sylvestre Leaves

Gymnema has been used in india and south china for the treatment of diabetes for over 2,000 years. The leaves were also used for stomach ailment, constipation, water retention and liver disease. Gymnema leaves raise insulin levels, according to research in healthy volunteers. Based on animal studies, this may be due to regeneration of the cells in the pancreas that secrete insulin. Other animal research shows that gymnema can also improves uptake of glucose into cells and prevent adrenaline from stimulating the liver to produce glucose, thereby reducing blood sugar levels. It was also shown that the administration of gse to diabetic animals not only resulted in improved glucose homeostasis, this improvement was accompanied by a regeneration of beta cells in the pancreas3. This is the only compound that has shown the ability to lessen indicators of diabetes by directly repairingregenerating the pancreas cells responsible for producing insulin. the leaves are also noted for lowering serum cholesterol and triglycerides. Some researchers have suggested gymnemic acid as one possible candidate. Gurmarin, another constituent of the leaves, and gymnemic acid have been shown to block the ability in humans to taste sweets.