Description
Gymnema sylvetre, a vulnerable species is a slow growing, perennial, medicinal woody climber found in central and peninsular India. Gymnema sylvestre is a large, more or less pubescent, woody climber. It is occasionally cultivated as medicinal plant. Leaves are opposite, usually elliptic or ovate (1.25–2.0 inch × 0.5–1.25 inch). Flowers are small, yellow, in umbellate cymes. Follicles are terete, lanceolate, upto 3 inches in length.The leaves of Gymnema sylvestre (family: Asclepiadaceae) is used in making of the extract Gymnemagenin, the main sapogenin in the leaves, yields gymnemic acids which is a chemically complex mixture of saponins and gurmarin, a polypeptide of 35 amino acids