Understanding diabetes and treating it naturally with Gymnema sylvestre
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease that is supposed to occur when there is a deficient production of insulin from the pancreas (type-1 diabetes) or when the body does not respond to the produced insulin (type-2 diabetes) in people of any race, shape, and size . This results in raised uncontrolled blood glucose levels. It is a metabolic disease caused by genetic and/or environmental factors.
Other associated disorder:
DM is also known as a maharoga (major disease) because it affects most parts of the body and every cell of the human physiology. The increased blood glucose level results in some classical symptoms such as polyurea (frequent urination), polyphagia (increased hunger), and polydipsia (increased thrust). These symptoms develop readily in type-1 diabetes but develop slowly in type-2 diabetes also.
Global burden:
DM has become a global problem in spite of advances in modern science which accounts for 5% of deaths per year and this is supposed to increase by 50% in the next 10 years as per estimations. India has been projected by WHO as the country with the fastest-growing population of diabetic patients.
Supporting remedies:
Several classes of synthetic drugs are available for the therapeutic treatment of the disease. Many oral antidiabetic agents are available to treat this worldwide health problem and its associated complications but they have a number of serious adverse effects; thus, managing diabetes without any side effects is still a challenge. The plant-derived products have been proven to be a good source for the treatment of diabetic complications, as these are used traditionally for thousands of years and are well described in ancient literature. Along with this, the naturally occurring leads have shown good acceptability in the human system. The ethnobotanical information reports that out of an estimated, about 800 plants may possess antidiabetic potential. The search for more effective and safer hypoglycemic agents from botanicals or natural resources has continued to be an important area of investigation.
Gymnema:
Plant Name: Gymnema sylvestre R.Br.
Family: Asclepiadaceae
Common Name: Meshashringi, Madhunashini, Gurmari, Gurmari-booty, Miracle fruit, Cow plant, Australian cow plant.
Plant: It is a perennial, large woody, much-branched, climbing plant with pubescent young parts.
Part used: Leaf; bitter, astringent, and acrid in taste
Availability: It grows in the tropical and subtropical regions of central and southern India, especially in Western Ghats, Konkan, and Deccan. It also found in northern India in dry forests up to 600 m.
Why Gymnema:
Gymnema sylvestre, an Indian wonder herb also known as "gurmar," or "destroyer of sugar" in Hindi, is well recognized for its capacity to reduce cravings for sweet-tasting meals and to regulate blood sugar levels. A good deal of scientific evidence supports these claims.
· Gymnema leaf contains triterpene glycosides known as Gymnemic acids (GAs), which are principally responsible for the plant's capacity to inhibit sweetness in humans and lessen sugar cravings. Animal studies and clinical trials indicate that GAs has the potential as a therapeutic agent for managing diabetes naturally.
· These acids suppress the sweetness of most sweeteners including artificial intense sweeteners i.e. aspartame and natural sweeteners i.e. thaumatin.
· Gymnema inhibits the activity of pancreatic α- amylase, α -glucosidase, sucrase, and maltase acid; protects β cells against oxidative damage and stimulates glucose-induced insulin secretion by enhancing the glucose transporter type (GLUT)2.
· GAs also help to manage blood sugar levels by preventing the absorption of extra glucose in the small intestine.
· GAs exhibit pleiotropic actions, interacting with numerous molecular targets involved in blood sugar levels, including hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and obesity. GAs inhibit the intestinal absorption of glucose in humans and rats.
· In one of the studies, Gymnema is generally considered safe and is dosed at 400–600 mg/daily, standardized to 24% Gymnemic acids.
NatXtra
· Helps to regulate blood sugar levels
· Support reduce sugar craving
· Maintain healthy glucose metabolism
· Helps to increase insulin production.
· Helps to modulate your cholesterol level
NatXtra® Gymne-Mag DTM is a unique and proprietary formula to manage blood sugar levels naturally, an issue that affects more than 422 million people globally.
Gymne-Mag DTM is a value-added mix of Gymnemic acid (from Gymnema) the active component, along with Magnesium and Vitamin D3 that helps to keep the body's sugar absorption at desirable levels.
