What does Gymnema Sylvestre do?
Generations of people in India with diabetes have successfully chewed the leaves to help control blood sugar. Several small, placebo-controlled trials indicate that gymnema extracts may indeed lower blood sugar levels. In those with type 1 diabetes, gymnema seems to enhance the action of insulin. In one study, 27 people with type 1 diabetes who took gymnema leaf extracts for several months required less insulin to control their blood sugar levels. Animal studies also support this use; they indicate that gymnema can double the amount of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, and return blood sugar levels to normal as a result. In the case of the far more prevalent type 2 diabetes–also known as noninsulin-dependent diabetes–research findings indicate that the use of gymnema may improve blood sugar control and result in the need for smaller doses of oral diabetes drugs to control the disease. However, it\’s critical that people with this disease don\’t abandon proven ways to manage it
