Herb library · Herb · Gymnema sylvestre
Gymnema
A climbing vine whose leaves, when chewed, briefly stop you tasting sweetness. It is sold for blood sugar and weight; small, uneven trials suggest lower blood sugar, but it has not been shown to work for diabetes.
Traditional use
Native to Asia, Africa and Australia, its leaves were used in traditional medicine for diabetes, obesity, arthritis and many other complaints. LiverTox gives its Hindi name gumar as meaning sugar destroyer, and its Sanskrit name meshasringi means ram's horn. It was also used as a remedy for snakebite: Kirtikar and Basu's 1918 survey, citing Ainslie, records that Hindus held the root in esteem for snakebite, used both on the bite and taken by mouth, and that in the Konkan the dried leaf powder was taken as a snuff. Today extracts are sold for blood sugar control and weight loss.
Traditional energetics
Ayurveda
Taste (rasa): pungent. Pharmacographia Indica (1891), vol. 2, p. 451 (opens in a new tab)
What studies show
- Limited
Blood sugar in type 2 diabetes: two meta-analyses (10 studies and 6 trials) found lower fasting blood sugar, HbA1c and some blood fats. The studies were small, low in quality and very different from one another, and LiverTox notes that its overall effectiveness in diabetes has not been shown.
- Insufficient
Weight: it is marketed for weight loss, but a 2023 meta-analysis that looked at body measurements reported no clear effect on them in its summary. There is not enough evidence to know.
Be careful of
Cautions
- ConditionIt has been studied for lowering blood sugar. If you take diabetes medicine, talk with your clinician before adding it.
- ConditionLiverTox (NIH) lists gymnema as a possible rare cause of liver injury; the few reported cases were weakly linked to the herb. Higher doses and existing liver disease may raise the risk.
- NoteSide effects are uncommon and include nausea, stomach discomfort, diarrhea, headache and rash. Products vary widely in strength and purity, and long-term safety is not well documented.
- PregnancyNCCIH advises talking with your clinician before using Ayurvedic products while pregnant or nursing.
- NoteSome Ayurvedic preparations include metals. The FDA warns that this makes some Ayurvedic products potentially harmful, and a 2015 survey found high lead or mercury levels in some of the supplements tested.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“The root is in esteem amongst the Hindus as a local and internal remedy in snake-bites (Ainslie). The root is also said to possess emetic and expectorant properties.”
“A curious circumstance connected with this plant was first noticed by Mr. Edgeworth, namely, that if chewed it destroys the power of the tongue to appreciate the taste of sugar and all saccharine substances.”
“In ginger bread, for instance, the pungency of the ginger is alone detected, the rest is tasteless meal”
Sources
- LiverTox: Gymnema (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- The effect of Gymnema sylvestre supplementation on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2021) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- The effects of Gymnema Sylvestre supplementation on lipid profile, glycemic control, blood pressure, and anthropometric indices in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2023) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Ayurvedic Medicine: In Depth (opens in a new tab) · NCCIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.