Gymnema Sylvestre (2010) & Diabetes

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The researchers wanted to evaluate the traditional herb Gymnema sylvestre (GS) as a possible anti-diabetic agent, which has been used in India for centuries.

They used a high molecular weight GS extract with type II diabetic patients, looking at plasma insulin, glucose, and C-peptide, for a 60 day period. They found marked increased in circulating insulin and C-peptide which were tied to reductions in fasting and after-meals blood glucose.

They also did in vitro measurements with human islets of Langerhans which also stimulated insulin secretion from the human beta cells.

They concluded that these in vivo and in vitro examinations indicated that the herb may be an alternative therapy for diabetic hyperglycemia.

Researchers: Al-Romaiyan A, Liu B, Asare-Anane H, Maity CR, Chatterjee SK, Koley N, Biswas T, Chatterji AK, Huang GC, Amiel SA, Persaud SJ, Jones PM., Diabetes Research Group, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK

Published: A novel Gymnema sylvestre extract stimulates insulin secretion from human islets in vivo and in vitro, Phytother Res. 2010 Sep;24(9):1370-6.