Gymnema Sylvestre

Gymnema sylvestre · Gurmar · Gymnemic Acid · Meshashringi

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Glycemic control, type 2 diabetes¹ Impaired fasting glucose² Dyslipidemia³ Diastolic blood pressure³ Obesity (mostly multi-ingredient blends)^4–7	Pregnancy or breastfeeding⁸ Under age 18⁹

Gymnema sylvestre is a climbing vine whose leaves, known as gurmar, contain gymnemic acids that suppress intestinal glucose uptake and selectively dull sweet taste. Supplementation is used for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes and impaired fasting glucose, for lipid lowering, and for weight management, where trials often test combination products¹. The typical patient has prediabetes or early type 2 diabetes^{2, 10}.

An earlier review of botanicals found too little clinical evidence to endorse any single herb for glucose control¹¹. In a 2020 laboratory study of mouse islets and a mouse cell line, an extract protected pancreatic beta-cells from cytokine-induced death; no human trial has tested this. Products listing Gymnema Sylvestre number 674 in the label database, mostly capsules and tablets of leaf powder or extract; see Form comparison.

The National Institutes of Health LiverTox review rates gymnema a possible rare cause of clinically apparent liver injury, with reported cases self-limited¹². Health Canada lists a practitioner consultation before use in diabetes on licensed products⁸, and labels on products sold in the United States carry the same caution for users of diabetes medication⁹.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

46 sources, 35 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources