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Gymnema herb lozenges?

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 7:07 pm
by leafy_greens
Anyone hear of this gymnema herb lozenge that allegedly kills the taste bud's desire for sweets for up to an hour? You're supposed to take them after meals and it makes sugar or high-carb foods taste disgusting. It wears off by your next meal. I'm seeing a few different brands for sale with moderately good reviews, but haven't tried myself. I was wondering if this could help those of us who are sugar addicts, help to build the habit of not "needing" sweets.

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2018 1:26 am
by ladybird30
Never heard of it, but then I'm in the camp of gradually weaning oneself off sweet tastes (as an alternative to cold turkey). Once that is done, really sweet stuff just doesn't taste all that good. And eating sweet sauces with meat just seems wrong. But the sweetness of natural foods such as quality fresh fruit tastes amazing.

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2018 1:56 am
by leafy_greens
Yeah, I've struggled for years and sweets are still my Achilles heel. I also struggle with that "food taste" in my mouth pushing me to graze as well as boredom. Building habits seem to not stick with me as much as other people here. I figured trying an herb might not hurt.

Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 2:42 am
by oolala53
If it's not very expensive, it's worth a try. Do you use them before or after brushing your teeth?

Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 8:52 am
by Auraiwun
I just wondered about these as well.

Re: Gymnema herb lozenges?

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 8:57 pm
by leafy_greens
I'm back. I've been using liquid gymnema drops for a few months. I chose liquid because it was the same ingredient in the sweet-blocking lozenges being advertised everywhere, but a lot cheaper. I believe the drops help, but I'm not sure if it's that, or if my taste buds are changing with age. I have been craving less sweets in general over the past year or so. Knock on wood.

The drops are nasty, but I have gotten used to them. I take 0-2 half-droppers per day, depending on cravings, straight on the tongue. Some days I don't need them. They are like extremely bitter tea. Supposedly it makes sweets taste so gross that you can't eat them. It's kind of true, but I've noticed more of a physiological change. Namely, I haven't been feeling as "frantic" about sweets. You know what I'm talking about, where you just want to eat entire containers of things. After I read that this herb is used to stabilize diabetic's blood sugar, it made sense (although I've never been diagnosed as diabetic.) For that reason, you also shouldn't take too much of it.

Sometimes I will take the drops, and still want sweets. I will eat the sweets, but I don't feel the compulsion to chow down like I used to. Most of the time I go stare at the ice cream freezer, but don't end up buying anything. I've had the same box of cookies for a month. Very strange if you knew me. Again, I don't know if it's because of the drops or something else. But I haven't really been doing any thing else.

Well it's anecdotal, but I thought it would be helpful to someone. There's just not a lot of information about this supplement.

To answer Oolala, I've not been taking it around tooth brushing, but between meals when I feel cravings.

Re: Gymnema herb lozenges?

Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 9:00 pm
by oolala53
Sounds like a win, though it can be risky to depend on not feeling urges. But feeling like a lot of the day is a struggle is no fun, either. I envy people who say they don't crave anymore, but I don't count on being one of them. I'm sure there are some things in life I find easy that they find hard, or at least that's what I tell myself.