Sugar destroyer – Gymnema: your new year’s resolution just levelled up!

Introducing Gymnema sylvestre; the Ayurvedic herb that can help you achieve your goals for 2023.   Gymnema is a woody vine and has earned the name Gurmar which means “sugar destroyer” (Tiwari, Mishra & Sangwan, 2014).  


Many of us, myself included start a quest to reduce our waistlines and get that number on the scale ticking down each New Year only to find out that it is no easy feat and all too often a quest that is abandoned once we start getting back to work, school and daily life. Every challenging quest has a magical artifact that helps the hero complete their journey. I don’t know about you, but “sugar destroyer” sounds like just the magical artifact I’d want in my tool bag! 

Gymnema gets its name from the fact that when taking orally interferes with the ability of the taste buds to detect sweet taste, of course if you can’t taste something sweet then you’re not going to want to eat it! 

According to a study published late last year in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics (Perin, Camboin & Lehnen, 2022), reducing the glycaemic load (the amount of glucose that your body needs to deal with) has been shown to be beneficial when it comes to weight loss. This is exactly one of the ways in which Gymnema works, the active molecules called gymnemic acids attach to receptors in the gut helping to reduce the absorption of simple carbohydrates which can lower the glycaemic load (Kanetkar, Singhal & Kamat, 2007).

Gymnema has been shown in research to:

  • Help regulate blood sugar levels
  • Help improve insulin resistance (which can be a major driver in obesity)

In animal studies Gymnema has been shown to have significant antiobesity potential (Kumar, et al. 2012).   

So, it’s clear from the research that Gymnema can be helpful in controlling blood glucose levels, insulin resistance and cravings, and most likely because of these unique mechanisms it can be a helpful ally to have when faced with the task of shedding those extra kilos. 

Sfera GS4 Plus Gymnema uses a standardized extract of Gymnema sylvestre which contains 75% gymnemic acids (those magical phytochemicals that we want) in order to bring you an effective therapeutic dose.   

Our partners who have developed this uniquely potent extract stand for environmental preservation, sustainability and corporate responsibility so you know that as always when you choose a Sfera product you are making an ethical & intuitive decision to not only support your own health but the health of our planet.

Let 2023 be the year that you complete your quest, that you conquer your goals and reach the state of wellbeing you deserve. Look to nature to lend a helping hand.

Some other products that would work synergistically with Sfera GS4 Plus Gymnema are Sfera Berberine and Sfera Coleus Forskohlii.

Cobus Botha
Natural Medicine Expert


References:

Baskaran, K., Kizar Ahamath, B., Radha Shanmugasundaram, K., & Shanmugasundaram, E. R. (1990). Antidiabetic effect of a leaf extract from Gymnema sylvestre in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients. Journal of ethnopharmacology30(3), 295–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-8741(90)90108-6 

Kanetkar, P., Singhal, R., & Kamat, M. (2007). Gymnema sylvestre: A Memoir. Journal of clinical biochemistry and nutrition41(2), 77–81. https://doi.org/10.3164/jcbn.2007010 

Kumar, V., Bhandari, U., Tripathi, C. D., & Khanna, G. (2012). Evaluation of antiobesity and cardioprotective effect of Gymnema sylvestre extract in murine model. Indian journal of pharmacology44(5), 607–613. https://doi.org/10.4103/0253-7613.100387 

Luo, H., Kashiwagi, A., Shibahara, T., & Yamada, K. (2007). Decreased bodyweight without rebound and regulated lipoprotein metabolism by gymnemate in genetic multifactor syndrome animal. Molecular and cellular biochemistry299(1-2), 93–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-005-9049-7 

Perin, L., Camboim, I. G., & Lehnen, A. M. (2022). Low glycaemic index and glycaemic load diets in adults with excess weight: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. Journal of human nutrition and dietetics: the official journal of the British Dietetic Association35(6), 1124–1135. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.13029 

Tiwari, P., Mishra, B. N., & Sangwan, N. S. (2014). Phytochemical and pharmacological properties of Gymnema sylvestre: an important medicinal plant. BioMed research international2014, 830285. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/830285