Why is it called 'sugar destroyer'?

Chewing a fresh leaf is well documented to temporarily block the tongue's ability to taste sweetness, which is the origin of its Hindi name gurmar.

How long does the taste effect last?

The temporary suppression of sweet taste typically lasts from a few minutes up to an hour or so after chewing a fresh leaf, wearing off gradually.

✿Asclepiadaceae · Gymnema

Gurmar / Periploca Of The Woods

Gymnema sylvestre

Also known as Sugar Killer Vine, Small Indian Ipecac, Gymnema

Lianaoutdoor

Habit: Liana
Found in India: Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana & more
Flowering: August-March

Identify this plant with SASYA

How to identify Gurmar

Identify Gurmar by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.

Look for a liana habit.
Check the distinctive field mark: Leaves used medicinally to suppress sweet taste (sugar destroyer).
Confirm leaf shape: Broad oval.
Confirm flower colour: Yellow.
Confirm flower arrangement: Umbel.
In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-March.
In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Rajasthan and nearby regions.

Plant Details

Scientific name: Gymnema sylvestre
Genus: Gymnema
Family: Asclepiadaceae
Habit: Liana
Habitat: Scrub jungles and hill slopes to 800m on thickets, by shola borders
Habitat type: Forest, Scrub
Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, tropical Africa
Found in India: Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand
Flowering & fruiting: August-March
Conservation status: Not Evaluated (NE)

Leaf characters

Leaf shape: Broad ovalrecorded

Typical of the family

Arrangement: Opposite
Type: Simple
Margin: Entire
Venation: Pinnate

Characters marked “recorded” are for Gurmar itself; the rest are typical of the Asclepiadaceae family.

Flower & fruit characters

Flower colour: Yellowrecorded“It has a small, yellow, umbelliferous inflorescence that is produced throughout the year.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Flower arrangement: UmbelrecordedFlower stalks all radiate from a single point, like umbrella ribs.“It has a small, yellow, umbelliferous inflorescence that is produced throughout the year.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Typical of the family

Flower symmetry: Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
Inflorescence: Cyme
Fruit: Follicle

Characters marked “recorded” are for Gurmar itself; the rest are typical of the Asclepiadaceae family — flowering plants only.

Local Names

Hindi: गुड़मार gurmar
Bengali: মেষশৃঙ্গ meshashrunga
Tamil: சிறுகுறிஞ்சா cirukurinca, கோகிலம் kokilam
Telugu: పొడపత్రి podapatri
Kannada: ಮಧುನಾಶಿನಿ madhunashini, ಸಪ್ಪೆ ಸೊಪ್ಪು sappe soppu
Malayalam: ചക്കരക്കൊല്ലി cakkarakkolli, മധുനാശിനി madhunashini
Marathi: बेडकीचा पाला bedakicha pala, गुडमार gudmar, कावळी kavali

Gurmar in India

This climbing vine, known as गुड़मार gurmar (Hindi), சிறுகுறிஞ்சா cirukurinca (Tamil), పొడపత్రి podapatri (Telugu), ಮಧುನಾಶಿನಿ madhunashini (Kannada), ചക്കരക്കൊല്ലി cakkarakkolli (Malayalam), बेडकीचा पाला bedakicha pala (Marathi), is famous for a taste effect its leaves have on sweetness perception. Gymnema sylvestre is found across Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, typically climbing through dry forest and scrub.

Uses

Its leaves have a long history of traditional Ayurvedic use, and chewing a fresh leaf is well known to temporarily suppress the ability to taste sweetness — an attributed traditional effect, not a medical claim.

How to Identify Gurmar

A slender, woody-based climbing vine with opposite, oval leaves and fine tendrils. Small, inconspicuous yellowish flower clusters form at the leaf axils, followed by narrow, pointed follicle pods.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Periploca of the woods called in different Indian languages?: गुड़मार gurmar (Hindi); சிறுகுறிஞ்சா cirukurinca (Tamil); పొడపత్రి podapatri (Telugu); ಮಧುನಾಶಿನಿ madhunashini (Kannada); ചക്കരക്കൊല്ലി cakkarakkolli (Malayalam); बेडकीचा पाला bedakicha pala (Marathi); মেষশৃঙ্গ meshashrunga (Bengali).
Why is it called 'sugar destroyer'?: Chewing a fresh leaf is well documented to temporarily block the tongue's ability to taste sweetness, which is the origin of its Hindi name gurmar.
How long does the taste effect last?: The temporary suppression of sweet taste typically lasts from a few minutes up to an hour or so after chewing a fresh leaf, wearing off gradually.

Botanical family

Asclepiadaceae

Milkweed Family

Gurmar belongs to the Asclepiadaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

Explore the Asclepiadaceae family

Snap it. Know it.

Point your camera at Gurmar or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.

Download SASYA — Free

Common plant problems

If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.

All plant problem & care guides

More in Asclepiadaceae

View all Asclepiadaceae

Sources: GBIF — Gymnema sylvestre (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Gymnema sylvestre (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)