Compound or practice · Supplement
Gymnema Sylvestre
The 'sugar destroyer' herb with modest glucose data and a genuine ability to blunt sweet taste.
- Overall grade
- Grade C
- Last revised
- 2
- graded outcomes
- 0
- references listed
A structured monograph in Prometheus's bundled library. Its grades are the monograph's own reading of the evidence, not a peer-reviewed review.
3 at grade C — 3 graded rows
What is known
Each outcome with its grade (how strong the evidence is, A to D), the size of the effect where the entry records one, and how often studies agree.
- Fasting glucose / HbA1cEvidence grade C
Modest
Smallmixed
- Sugar cravingsEvidence grade C
Sweet-taste blockade
Smallmixed
Conditions
How the entry reads its effect on diagnosed conditions: the direction first, then the grade. Never a substitute for the person who treats you.
- Type 2 diabetes / prediabetes May improveEvidence grade CAdjunctGrade C
What is uncertain
Read off the same rows as above. Nothing here is added that the entry does not itself record.
- Thin evidence: Fasting glucose / HbA1c (grade C); Sugar cravings (grade C).
- Caution with Metformin: Additive glucose lowering.
Interactions
Documented pairings with supplements and medicines. A medicine on this list is a conversation for whoever prescribes it.
MetforminCaution
Additive glucose lowering.
The evidence in words
What it is
Gymnema sylvestre is an Ayurvedic herb used for blood-sugar control and sugar cravings.
How it works
Its gymnemic acids transiently block sweet-taste receptors and may reduce intestinal sugar absorption and support insulin secretion.
What the evidence shows
Small trials show modest reductions in fasting glucose and HbA1c and reduced sweet cravings; quality is limited. A reasonable adjunct, not a therapy.
How to use it
200–400 mg standardized extract daily, or before sweet meals.
Safety & interactions
Generally safe; additive glucose lowering with diabetes drugs. metformin — Additive glucose lowering.
Bottom line
Modest glucose support with a neat anti-craving trick. An adjunct; monitor if on diabetes medication.
How it is used
As the entry records it, from the studies it summarises. Not a recommendation for you — doses that suit a trial population may not suit you.
- Standard
- 200–400 mg standardized daily.
Related reading
Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.
- CinnamonA modest, inconsistent glucose helper — and a reminder that cassia cinnamon's coumarin can stress the liver at high doses.Evidence grade C
- Apple Cider VinegarThe acetic acid modestly blunts post-meal glucose — small, real, and easy to overhype.Evidence grade C
- Banaba (Corosolic Acid)A glucose-lowering leaf whose corosolic acid shows small post-meal effects in limited trials.Evidence grade C
- BerberineA plant alkaloid that behaves like a metabolic drug — real glucose and lipid effects, and it deserves drug-level caution.Evidence grade B
Sources
This entry lists no references of its own.
Last revised . A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.