title: Gymnema sylvestre R. Br., an Indian medicinal herb: traditional uses, chemical composition, and biological activity.
abstract: Gymnema sylvestre R. Br. is one of the most important medicinal plants that grows in tropical forests in India and South East Asia. Its active ingredients and extracts of leaves and roots are used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments and they are present in the market for pharmaceutical and parapharmaceutical products. Commercial products based on substances of plant origin that are generally connoted as natural have to be subjected to monitoring and evaluation by health authorities for their potential impacts on public health. The monitoring and evaluation of these products are critical because the boundary between a therapeutic action and a functional or healthy activity has not yet been defined in a clear and unambiguous way. Therefore, these products are considered borderline products, and they require careful and rigorous studies, in order to use them as complement and/or even replacement of synthetic drugs that are characterized by side effects and high economic costs. This review explores the traditional uses, chemical composition and biological activity of G. sylvestre extracts, providing a general framework on the most interesting extracts and what are the necessary studies for a complete definition of the range of activities.
authors: Giovanni
authors: G
authors: Di Fabio
authors: Valeria
authors: V
authors: Romanucci
authors: Cinzia
authors: C
authors: Di Marino
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Pisanti
authors: Department of Chemical Sciences, University Federico II, Complesso Universitario Monte S. Angelo, Via Cintia 4, IT-80126 Napoli, Italy. zarrelli@unina.it.
authors: Armando
authors: A
authors: Zarrelli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001168:Arthritis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D031104:Gymnema sylvestre / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D007194:India; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts