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Gurmar
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Gurmar
P Native Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Gurmar, Cowplant, Australian cowplant, periploca of the woods, small Indian ipecacuanha • Bengali: মেষশৃঙ্গ meshashrunga • Gujarati: ગુડમાર gudmar, મધુનાશિની madhunashini • Hindi: गुड़मार gurmar • Kannada: ಮಧುನಾಶಿನಿ madhunashini, ಸಪ್ಪೆ ಸೊಪ್ಪು sappe soppu • Konkani: कावळी kavli • Malayalam: ചക്കരക്കൊല്ലി cakkarakkolli, മധുനാശിനി madhunashini • Marathi: बेडकीचा पाला bedakicha pala, गुडमार gudmar, कावळी kavali, मेढशिंगी medhashingi, वाकुंदी vakundi • Odia: ଲକ୍ଷ୍ମୀ lakshmi, ମେଣ୍ଢା ଶିଙ୍ଗିଆ mendhasingia, ମେଷ ବଲ୍ଲୀ mesha balli, ନାଗପୁଷ୍ପୀ nagapushpi • Sanskrit: अजशृङ्गी ajasrngi, मधुनाशिनी madhunashini, मेढ्रशृङ्गी medhrashringi, मेषशृङ्गी meshashringi • Tamil: சிறுகுறிஞ்சா cirukurinca, கோகிலம் kokilam • Telugu: పొడపత్రి podapatri • Tibetan: sa si nga, sa sri ngi • Tulu: ಮಧುನಾಸಿನಿ madhunasini Source: Names of Plants in India
Botanical name: Gymnema sylvestre    Family: Apocynaceae (Oleander family)
Synonyms: Asclepias geminata, Gymnema humile, Gymnema parvifolium

Gurmar is a famed plant, revered for its use in treatment of diabetes for nearly two millennia. The Hindi name Gurmar actually means diabetes killer. It is a large climber, rooting at nodes. Leaves are elliptic, narrow tipped, base narrow. Leaves are smooth above, and sparsely or densely velvety beneath. Pale yellow flowers are small, in axillary and lateral umbel like cymes. Stalk of the umbel is long. Sepals are long, ovate, obtuse, velvety. Flowers are pale yellow, bell-shaped. Corona is single, with 5 fleshy scales.
Medicinal uses: One of the alternative medicines to both diabetes and obesity could be Gurmar plant preparation, as it known to have a good effect for curbing of diabetes by blocking sugar binding sites and hence not allowing the sugar molecules to accumulate in the body.

Identification credit: Navendu Pāgé Photographed in Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra & IISc campus, Bangalore.

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