Gymnema

Scientific name of Gymnema: gymnema sylvestre

Name of Gymnema in different languages:

English: Gurmar, Cowplant

Sanskrit: Madhu nashini

Hindi: Meshasringa (मेषशृंग), Bedki cha pala (बेडकीचा पाला)

Malayalam: Chakkarakolli ചക്കരക്കൊല്ലി

Plant description

Gurmar or Miracle fruit (Gymnema sylvestre ) is a slow-growing large climber. Leaves are elliptic, taper tipped, top smooth and velvety bottom. Flowers are pale yellow in color and small, found in axillary and long umbel-like cymes, ovate, obtuse, and bell-shaped. Seeds are contained in a pod and when the mature pod explodes and long long-haired seeds fly in the air.

Leaf Arrangement

Shape-Heartshaped	Margin-Entire	Venation-reticulate

Useful plant parts: leaf, whole plant

Medicinal uses: Diabetes, stomach ailments, water retention, constipation and liver disease

Chemical content: Gymnemic acids, alkaloids, acidic glycosides, Anthraquinones, Saponins, Olianic acid.

How to prepare medicines: If we chew plant leaves for a period of two hours we will not get the sugar taste in our tongue.

Gymnema is one of the ingredients in Ayurveda medicines like-

• Maha Vishagarbh Tailam
• Dybenav Tablets