Gymnemic saponins

Gymnemic saponins Gymnema sylvestre (Asclepiadaceae) inhibited) [0.2], Insulin-stimulated Glucose TR (rat adipocyte) [0.2] [independent of AC activation (q.v.)] Glc-TR [hypoglycaemic]... 

A substance isolated from the Indian shrub Gymnema sylvestre, has a profound ability to reduce perceived sweetness of sugar solutions. The effect was noticed over a century ago when two British inhabitants of an Indian village found that, after chewing the leaves of G sylvestre, the sweetness of their tea disappeared (7). The sweetness suppressing activity is due to a mixture of several triterpene saponins which have collectively been termed the gymnemic acids. For most people exposed to the effects of GA, sweetness suppression is complete and the effect lasts for about an hour. 

Isolation of crude saponins. Although the saponins are the dominating constituents of the leaves of G. sylvestre they are present as a very complex mixture. As already mentioned several workers have tried to isolate the saponins by the usual solvent extraction and precipitation methods. A procedure for isolation of the gymnemic acids reported by... 

Besides the gymnemic acids which are acylated saponins, five new... 

A class of triterpenoid saponins called gymnemic acids [based on gymnemagenin (16) (Fig. 24.6)] has been identi-... 

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