GYMNEMA SYLVESTA
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Remedy Origin / Source
Natural
Clinical Applications
GYMNEMA SYLVESTA Plant Introduction A creeper plant having epiphytic roots. Branches and shoots are thin and long with soft hairy feel. Leaves are 1-21 inches in size, ovate or almost cordate, yielding small pale-yellowish flowers; seeds are inch in size. It is found in Central or Southern India....
General Description
GYMNEMA SYLVESTA Plant Introduction A creeper plant having epiphytic roots. Branches and shoots are thin and long with soft hairy feel. Leaves are 1-21 inches in size, ovate or almost cordate, yielding small pale-yellowish flowers; seeds are inch in size. It is found in Central or Southern India. Florescence and fructification take place in Autumn and Winter respectively. Name: In Sanskrit-Mesh shingi, Aj-singi, Sarpadransta: Hindi and Bengali-Medasinga; Gujrati-Mangra Singi: Tamil-Shiktakaranja; Telegu-Patni Padra. Family: Ascepiadeae. Time of collection: Roots, leaves and sometimes the whole plant in winter. Chemical Composition: In 1887, Hooper made the first systematic examination of the leaves. He isolated two resins; the resin insoluble in alcohol f...
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GYMNEMA SYLVESTA
Plant Introduction
A creeper plant having epiphytic roots. Branches and shoots are thin and long with soft hairy feel. Leaves are 1-21 inches in size, ovate or almost cordate, yielding small pale-yellowish flowers; seeds are inch in size. It is found in Central or Southern India. Florescence and fructification take place in Autumn and Winter respectively.
Name:
In Sanskrit-Mesh shingi, Aj-singi, Sarpadransta:
Hindi and Bengali-Medasinga;
Gujrati-Mangra Singi:
Tamil-Shiktakaranja;
Telegu-Patni Padra.
Family: Ascepiadeae.
Time of collection: Roots, leaves and sometimes the whole plant in winter.
Chemical Composition:
In 1887, Hooper made the first systematic examination of the leaves. He isolated two resins; the resin insoluble in alcohol forming the larger proportion and the resin soluble in alcohol was said to leave a tingling sensation in the throat. There was no Tannin. He had also isolated an organic acid said to be a glucoside and to possess anti-saccharine property. It was designated as gymnemic acid and the formula C82 H55 012 was given to it. It was present to the extent of 06 percent. A new bitter principle, some tartaric acid and Calcium Oxalate were also isolated.
In 1904 Power and Tutin next took up the subject and made a through investigation of the leaves. They isolated hentiacontane C31 H64 quivercitol and gymnemic acid. The gymnemic acid was purified and analysed. They showed that it did not possess any anti-saccharine properties and was not a glucoside. Dr. Chopra, Bose and Chatterji in 1928 prepared differend fractions from the leaves, isolated the gymnemic acid and prepared a sodium salt of the acid for both Pharmacological trials. They also isolated some enzymes and tested their sugar hydrolysing actions.
Recently, Mhasker and Cains in 1930 have made a detailed Chemical investigation of the leaves of gymnema sylvesta. The air dried leaves yielded after ignition 11.45 percent of inorganic matter consisting of alkali, phosphoric acid, Ferric oxide and Manganese, Phytol, resins, Tartaric acid inositol, anthraquinone bodies and gymnemic acid were also identified. In the enzyme isolated from the leaves no such action was seen.
The gymnemic acid was found to have neither hydro-lytic nor oxidase action when mixed with cane sugar or glucose solution.
The effect of the drug on the blood-sugar was tested on rabbits. The animals used were carefully selected, were all over 1.0 kilogram weight and were the albino Himalayan and the brown Belgian hare types. A quantitative estima tion of the initial blood-sugar was made and then the drug was given by subcutaneous injection. Two hours after injection the blood-sugar was re-examined. Besides pure gymnemic acid, the following fractions were tried and the effect on the blood-sugar in animals were recorded
- (1) an aqueous extract of the powdered leaves
- (2) an alcoholic extract using 95 p.c. alcohol
- (3) an alcoholic extract using 70 p.c. alcohol
- (4) Sodium salt of gymnemic acid.
In none of the animals to whom these fractions were given was then any reduction in the amount of sugar present in the blood. It may be argued that the non-reduction of blood sugar in these rabbits after injection of the various preparations of Gymnema Sylvesta might be due to the excess glycogen in the liver of the rabbits, which by being converted into sugar tends to prevent the fall of blood-sugar. They could not find any water soluble or alcohol soluble substance in the leaves which had the property of dissolving glucose in vitro or any chemical body resembling insulin.
Pharmacological action:
The actions of the enzymes isolated from Gymnema Sylvesta was studied in vitro on both cane-sugar and glucose. The sugar solutions were made upto a definite strength and then mixed with the powdered leaves of the plant and also the enzyme isolated from the leaves. The mixtures were kept in an incubator at 37 C for 48 hours and estimations were made at regular intervals to see if any changes occured.
Thearapeutic uses:
The drug was tried in a number of cases of dsabetes mellitres in order to see if it produced any reduction in the amount of sugar present in the blood or urine. All the patients were uncomplicated cases of diabetes and were kept in hospital under strict observation. They were all palced on a fixed diet which was strictly under control. The total quantity of urine passed in 24 hours was carefully collected, measured and a portion of it was examined every day for the quantity of sugar present. The sugar content of the blood was also estimated time to time, the 'fasting lavel' of blood sugar being always recorded. The patients were regularly weighed during the course of treatment.
In 1930 Mhaskar and Cains found that the leaves of Gymnema Sylvesta in daily dose of 30 to 60 grains (dry leaf) for a period of three months or more may reduce glycosuria non-amenable to dieto-therapy. It is however, too early to give any definite opinion and further work is necessary to estimate the real anti-diabetic property of the drug.
Symptomps
Mind: apathetic patient; weariness and anxiety.
Heart: Weakness and palpitation of the heart.
Urine: Contains excessive sugar. The patient becomes weak after urination. Voluminous and clean urination (particularly in the evening) having high specific gravity.
Skin: Burning sensation in the body; slack skin.
Thirst: Frequent tendency to drink water; thirst like a thirsty swallow.
Weakness: Symptom appears very slowly. Loss of sexual power.
Duse:
5-25 minims 3-4 times a day.
Remedy Profile
- Type Plant
- Common Name N/A
- Origin Source Natural
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