Abstract
The diabetic patients in Sri Lanka use G. lactiferum leaves as a treatment for diabetes. However, scientific data is not available on this plant. A clinical trial was conducted including 26, type 2 diabetic patients with hypercholesterolemia. The treatment group received a suspension of G. lactiferum leaf powder twice daily for  four weeks. Blood parameters of both groups (treated and control) were determined at the beginning and the end of the study period. Study indicates significant effects on FBS (p=0.002), cholesterol (p= 0.004 ), and LDL lowering (p=0.023) and a significant postprandial glucose lowering effect (p=0.026 for 60 min and p=0.022 for 120 min, after four weeks). In spite of the short study period, a significant reduction (p=0.012) in HbA 1C levels was also observed.
Highlights
Gymnema lactiferum var. lactiferum is a woody branched climber which belongs to the family Asclapiadaceae
G. lactiferum leaves have been used as a supportive treatment for diabetes by people in Jaffna, Sri Lanka for several decades
All 26 patients enrolled in the study had similar baseline characteristics (Table I)
Summary
Gymnema lactiferum var. lactiferum is a woody branched climber which belongs to the family Asclapiadaceae. Lactiferum is a woody branched climber which belongs to the family Asclapiadaceae. It is known as “Kurincha” in Sinhala and “Kshirakakoli” in Sanskrit. The plant is distributed in Assam, Malay Peninsula, Malaysia and Sri Lanka (Dassanayake and Fosberg, 1983). The leaves of G. lactiferum are used as a green leafy vegetable in salads, curries and in herbal gruels. Further it has been reported that G. lactiferum leaves possess cooling, anabolic, rehydrating, spermiogenic (Ayurveda Pharmacopia, 1961) and wormicide properties (forlkloric). G. lactiferum leaves have been used as a supportive treatment for diabetes by people in Jaffna, Sri Lanka for several decades
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