Gymnema sylvestre or Gudmar is a herb native to the forests of India where it has been used as a naturopathic treatment for diabetes for nearly two millennia. The major bioactive constituents of Gymnema sylvestris are a group of oleanane type triterpenoid saponins known as gymnemic acids.

Family:Asclepiadaceae
Botanical Names: Gymnema Sylvestre
Common Names:Gudmar,Periploca Of The Woods
Useful Parts:Whole Plant, Leaves
Habitat:Shivalik Hills of Himachal Pradesh and Southern India
Uses: Gudmar plant is acrid, antiinflammatory, anodyne, liver tonic, emetic, diuretic. It is useful in hepatosplenomegaly, dypepsia, constipation, jaundice, halminthiasis, cardiopathy, amenorrhoea. The fresh leaves when chewed have the remarkable property of paralysing the sense of taste for sweet and bitter substance for some time.