Bioactive principles of Gymnema sylvestre R.Br. From yesterday’s tradition to tomorrow’s drug

Periploca of woods (Gymnema sylvestre R. Br.) of the family Asclepiadaceae commonly known as “Miracle-fruit” is one of the most important medicinal plants of the central ecoregion. It is popularly known as Gurmar, which means “sugar killer” or “destroyer of sugar”. It grows in the tropical forests of India and has been used for more than 2,000 years in traditional systems of medicine to treat madhumeha or “honey urine.” Ethanolic extract of leaves is reported to have tannins, gum, flavonoids, proteins, saponins and also a minute amount of fixed oil. The principal constituent, gymnemic acid, is found in the gymnema saponins from aqueous leaf extract. Various parts of the plant are used in the treatment of skin problems, bronchitis, fungal infections, eyedisease, cancer, diabetes and urinogenital infection. The plant also has digestive, diuretic, emetic, expectorant, laxative, stimulant and stomachic properties. The presence of large number of triterpenoidal saponins, flavonoids, staroids and phenolic compounds are responsible for variety of activity of gymnema. This review is an attempt to highlight its various ethnobotanical and traditional uses with mechanistic approach of pharmacological reports in relation to phytochemistry.