Gymnema Sylvestre

I realize you don’t know me very well yet, so let me slap down a few pieces of the puzzle for you. I play the harmonica. I pretend to be ashamed at myself for liking dub step. I used to be the kind of administrative assistant who sat around reading blogs and comic books all day. And I’d give my left arm for something salty and greasy at any moment of my life no matter how gross it is or what activity I’m partaking in.

Oh, that’s an onion ring, wrapped around a stick of butter, dipped in sea salt and covered in mustard. Hand it over punk.

What just fell on the ground over there? Could it really be shrimp tempura, covered in provolone, wrapped in bacon and stuffed with… bacon, you say? No, it’s cool. I’ll just dust it off. Good as new. Now back to yoga. 

What’s that you’re making? Oh my. Deep fried bread, covered in nacho cheese with a side of the rock salt you use to melt ice on the sidewalk. I’ll be over in ten. Make that five. 

There are two types of people in this world, right? The folks who dig salty and fatty and the folks who would kill for a piece of cake. I have always considered myself to be part of the salty tribe. None of those above scenarios actually ever happened to me… yet. But I’d consider them plausible.

So, you can imagine my surprise when I began getting all of these cravings for sugary goods a few months ago. I thought I must have being going through one of those immaculate conception thingys.

I’m really not sure where the love of the sugar rush came from, but I am not a huge fan of it. It’s one thing to feel all gross after a night of caving in to greasy cravings, but to have to deal with these sweet ones too? Well, that’s just too much to handle.

So I’ve been researching herbs that may help with my newly forming sweet tooth. I came across several articles about Gymnemea Sylvestre Leaf. This herb is supposed to supress the sensation of sweet and has been used as a natural remedy for diabetes for nearly two millenia. Evidence suggests that it blocks sugar receptors on the tongue.

You can take it as a tea or a capsule. I’ll order some and wait eagerly to get here armed with a tub of ice cream and a carrot cake.

Have you ever taken gymnemea to help with your sweet tooth?