:: How does Gymnema Stylvestre Works?:

Recent pharmacological and clinical studies have shown that Gymnema Sylvestre acts on two sites first the taste buds in the oral cavity and second the absorptive surface to the intestines. The structure of those taste buds which detect sugar in the mouth is similar to the structure of the tissue that absorbs sugar in the intestine. The important active ingredient of Gymnema Sylvestre is an organic acid called “Gymnemic acid”. The Gymnemic acid is made up of molecules whose atom arrangement is similar to that of glucose molecules. Those molecules fill the receptor locations on the taste buds for a period of one or two hours, thereby preventing the taste buds from being activated by any sugar molecules present in the food. Similarly, the glucose-like molecules in the Gymnemic acid fill the receptor locations in the absorptive external layers of the intestine, thereby preventing the intestine from absorbing the sugar molecules. As Gymnemic acid and Gymnema leaf extract interfere with the ability of the taste buds to taste sweet or bitter. By inhibiting this ability, people taking it will limit their intake of sweets, which further helps blood sugar levels.

According to the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition, Gymnemic acids also appear to work, because they:

• Increase secretion of insulin.
• Promote regeneration of islet-ß- cells (islet-ß- cells are insulin-producing cells in your pancreas).
• Increases peripheral utilization of blood glucose.
• Reduce metabolic effect of sugar by preventing the intestines from absorbing sugar molecules during digestion.