अजश्रृङ्गिका - Gymnema sylvestre
Name - मॆषश्रृङ्गी
Botanical name - Gymnema sylvestre
Description - A large woody much branched climber running over the tops of high trees, with pubescent young parts. Simple leaves, opposite, elliptic or ovate. Pubescent on both sides and cordate or rounded base. Flowers small in pedunculate or nearly sessile umbellate cymes, peduncules densely pubescent. Yellow coloured corolla, Fruits are slender follicles, seeds long, flat with a thin broad marginal wing, brown and glabrous.
Chemical Constituents- Contains gymnemic acid and anthraquionone compound Leaves contain gymnamine, gymnimagenin, gymnemic acid I, II, III, IV, V, VI and VII, dammarone saponins - gymnemosides, gypenoside, gymnemic acid. Leaf extract contains nonacosane, hentriacontane, triacontane, gymnemic acid; tritetrpene gymnestrogenin
Use - Used in Diabetes and skin diseases. Fruits are carminative and wormicide, used in cough and intestinal worms -- Leaves used in diabetes since it arrests the sense of taste temporarily. Leaf powder cardiac stimulant and diuretic.
