Gymnema sylvestre is an herb that has been used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. Today, this ingredient is well-regarded for the numerous health benefits it provides, which includes helping to keep blood sugar levels at healthy levels. Let us dig deeper into the benefits of this herb that we might not have heard about before!

What Does Gymnema Sylvestre Do for the Body?

1. Curbs Sugar Cravings

Gymnema sylvestre is a plant that can help you reduce sugar cravings. This herb contains gymnemic acid, which blocks the taste receptors on your tongue from detecting sweetness from foods or beverages containing sugar. When consumed prior to a sugary food or beverage, gymnemic acid blocks the sugar receptors on your taste buds so you don’t experience the same pleasure as typical consumers do when eating something sweetened with sucrose (table sugar).

According to a study by Florida State University, sweetness perception was reduced in half of the subjects by oral application of Gymnema sylvestre extracts. This means you are likely to have less desire for sugary foods after consuming this herb.

2. May Support Healthy Blood Sugar Levels

Gymnema sylvestre is a natural supplement that can help support healthy blood sugar levels. The way it works is that Gymnema sylvestre blocks receptors in your intestines and thus sugar absorption, lowering your post-meal blood sugar levels. In research published by Diabetes In Control, 65 participants who underwent 90 days of Gymnema sylvestre supplementation had 11% lower mean daily plasma glucose concentration levels before meals.

If you’re taking blood-sugar-lowering medications, consult with your doctor first as this ingredient can interact with other drugs.

3. Can Support Increased Insulin Production

If you have high blood sugar levels, this means that too much glucose is floating around in your blood stream. This can lead to diabetes and other health problems like kidney disease or heart disease if left untreated long enough!

Gynmema sylvestre may help lower those high numbers by supporting an increased production of insulin, as observed in a 2015 study by a Centre for Advanced Research in Pharmaceutical Science from India. Higher insulin levels lower hyperglycemia levels and reduce risk factors associated with diabetes development.

4. Helps Promote Heart Health

Gymnema sylvestre can help keep cholesterol in check and triglyceride levels. It may also have a beneficial effect on the risk of heart disease. In a 2017 clinical trial conducted by the University of Guadalajara, participants with high cholesterol who took Gymnema sylvestre had lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and higher HDL (good) levels than those who took placebo over 12 weeks.

5. Aids in Weight Loss

Gymnema sylvestre is thought to increase your body’s ability to metabolize fats and sugars, which may help lead to weight loss. This isn’t the only way that this herb may aid in weight management. It also has been shown to reduce the size of fat cells and decrease their number, which can help reduce fat deposits in the body.

A clinical trial published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, a peer-reviewed journal, found that moderately obese participants had a 5-6% decrease in body weight and BMI after 8 weeks of taking Gymnema sylvestre extract before meals.

Gymnema Sylvestre: A Key Ingredient of Sunrider’s VitaTaste^®

Did you know Gymnema sylvestre is a component of Sunrider VitaTaste^®? VitaTaste^® is an all-natural dietary supplement specially formulated to help inhibit the absorption of sugar and simple carbohydrates (also called simple sugars) by the body. This effect is done by blocking access to the receptors in the intestines that normally absorb or attach to sugars.

By blocking these receptors, VitaTaste® stops the absorption of sugar, which can then be excreted by the body before it is stored as fat. In short, inhibiting sugar from being absorbed lessens the amount of sugar that gets stored as fat, which may help in weight management — a “sweet” result we all want.

Safety Precaution

Gymnema sylvestre is totally safe for most people, but it should not be taken by children or women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning to get pregnant. Do not replace your diabetes medication with this herb without your doctor’s supervision. Only take Gymnema with other blood-sugar-lowering medications under your doctor’s supervision.