Product Review: Medi Herb’s Gymnema – How to Defeat a Sweet Tooth

What is Gymnema?

While not usually considered a stimulant, sugar is THE most addicting substance known to man.  Millions of Americans thus can’t keep their hands off of sweets, which is a major player in the obesity endemic this country is experiencing.  For those that have want to kick the habit however, there is hope!  Medi Herb has a product named Gymnema, created from the crushed leaves of the gymnema plant which works against your sense of taste to temporarily make you despise the taste of sugar!

The gymnema plant has been used for a very long time in traditional Ayurvedic medicine from the country of India.  The herb’s name comes from the Hindu word “gumar” which is translated into “sugar destroyer.”  It has been commonly used to help patients with diabetes since they should limit their amount of sugar intake.  I am not sure how it works exactly, but I have been told that it anesthetizes the taste buds in your mouth that are can sense sweetness.

Does it Really Numb Your Taste Buds?

Before taking this supplement, I was very interested to see what would happen if my sweet taste buds went “numb”.  I personally don’t have a sweet tooth problem, but I know many that do (my issue is more salt cravings).  Medi Herb offers two different versions of this product, one in pill form and one in liquid form.  To take the liquid form, all you need to do is swish it around in your mouth to get the desired results.  If taking pill form, sucking on the pill for a minute and maybe chewing it will do the trick.

Experience:  Let me be the first to say that gymnema is a nasty tasting herb!  When it was in my mouth, I had no problem understanding how sugar would taste bad.  In fact, I thought EVERYTHING would taste bad!  It was very difficult to suck on for a minute, but I managed.  Other of my classmates had very similar experiences with their pills.

Results:  I tested my sweet taste buds by eating an Andes chocolate mint.  A little to my surprise, it tasted like chalk; it was as if there was no flavor to what I was eating!  It was hard enough to wash the taste of the gymnema, which might have had an effect.  To test this, I ate arare snacks, a Japanese rice cracker covered in soy sauce (it’s very salty).  While it didn’t taste as good as normal due to the remnants of the gymnema, it still tasted good and salty.  I tried eating the Andes mint again, and it still tasted like chalk.

30 minutes later, I tried to eat another Andes mint to see what would happen (imagine if I lost the sense of sweetness for my entire life!).  Thankfully, I could taste some of the sweetness, but there was still a bad after taste.  Needless to say, I believe that taking gymnema would be a great supplement to take for one who wants to break the sugar habit.  If you are interested in trying your own gymnema for yourself, you can contact your local chiropractor or nutritionist or find your Medi Herb representative.