Gynostemma
Also sold as: Jiaogulan · Gynostemma pentaphyllum · Southern ginseng
A saponin-containing climbing herb studied as tea and processed extracts for glucose control, abdominal fat and stress-related anxiety.
Anxiety
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Research
- Anxiety: One placebo-controlled RCT in healthy adults with chronic stress reported lower STAI anxiety; clinical anxiety disorders and independent replication remain unestablished.
REALITY CHECK // The strongest glucose result comes from only 24 untreated adults with diabetes, and tea cannot be assumed equivalent to actiponin. Anxiety rests on one stressed-healthy-adult RCT; long-term safety, liver treatment and human longevity remain unproven.
Levels: how we grade evidence. Grey = evidence of no benefit; amber = evidence it makes this goal worse.
Ratings are self-reported by a self-selected group of users: how it felt, not proof that it works.
Check your bottle
Compare what your label says with what was used in trials. This is a trial range, not a personal prescription.
Enter the amount from your label to see the result.
How it was studied
01 // STUDIED_DOSE_RANGE
Trial context
The drug-naive type 2 diabetes RCT used 6 g/day of tea material for 12 weeks. The 80-person abdominal-fat RCT used 450 mg/day of heat-processed actiponin extract for 12 weeks. The dossier does not give a reliable extract dose for the anxiety trial.
02 // TIMING_&_MATRIX
Form and schedule
No optimal clock-time schedule is established. Compare dry tea material and the exact extract separately.
03 // EVALUATION_WINDOW
Outcome-specific follow-up
Glucose and abdominal-fat trials followed participants for 12 weeks; longer safety remains uncertain.
04 // SAFETY_&_QUALITY_GATE
Review before use
Avoid in pregnancy, breastfeeding and children because safety data are absent. Review autoimmune disease, immunosuppression, low blood pressure and surgery with a clinician. Stop and seek assessment for unusual bruising/bleeding, faintness or symptomatic low glucose; thrombocytopenia has a case report.
UPPER LIMIT // No numerical EFSA/NIH UL is established in this dossier. Trial doses are not safe upper limits; safety beyond 12 weeks is poorly characterized.
Summary
Small, form-specific trials suggest glucose and stress benefits. A 24-person diabetes trial is not evidence that this herb can replace metformin, and the weight-loss trial has published errata.
Mechanism
Gypenosides have preclinical AMPK, nitric-oxide and immunomodulatory effects. These pathways do not establish clinical liver protection, blood-pressure treatment or longevity.
Typical studied dose
The drug-naive type 2 diabetes RCT used 6 g/day of tea material for 12 weeks. The 80-person abdominal-fat RCT used 450 mg/day of heat-processed actiponin extract for 12 weeks. The dossier does not give a reliable extract dose for the anxiety trial.
Upper limit
No numerical EFSA/NIH UL is established in this dossier. Trial doses are not safe upper limits; safety beyond 12 weeks is poorly characterized.
Popular stacks with Gynostemma
Not enough stack data yet. A combination with Gynostemma appears here once 5 people rate the same set.
Forms and label traps
| Form on label | Active content | Studied range / day | Absorption & GI tolerance | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dried-leaf tea Best for: Matching the glucose-trial preparation. |
Unstandardized: active content unknown | 6000–6000 mg | Variable saponin exposure; the clinical glucose study tested tea, not capsules. Usually tolerated over 12 weeks; nausea can occur. |
Studied standard [FORM // REFERENCE] 6000 mg is the daily dry leaf mass, not absorbed saponin or brewed-liquid mass. No marker percentage or extract conversion is established. |
| Heat-processed actiponin extract Best for: Matching the specific abdominal-fat trial. |
Extract weight · marker not quantified | 450–450 mg | Heat processing changes the gypenoside/damulin profile; clinical superiority over tea is not established. Tolerated in the 12-week weight trial. |
Good option [FORM // GOOD] 450 mg compares full extract mass. The dossier gives no reliable marker percentage; zero means unknown, not absent. Trial errata require review. |
| Total-gypenoside extract Best for: Checking whether a bottle declares saponin standardization. |
Unstandardized: active content unknown | no comparable trial range | Oral delivery research is preclinical; lipid-carrier results do not prove better human outcomes. Higher amounts may cause nausea. |
Caution [FORM // CAUTION] No validated general extract dose or universal saponin percentage is supplied. Do not borrow the actiponin target. |
Common label traps
- TRAP_01 // Natural metformin
A small tea RCT does not establish drug equivalence or justify stopping diabetes treatment. - TRAP_02 // All forms do the same thing
Glucose evidence is for tea; abdominal-fat evidence is for a heat-processed extract. - TRAP_03 // Adaptogen means risk-free
A thrombocytopenia case and short safety follow-up contradict unlimited-dose marketing.
Other outcomes studied
Outside the five leaderboard goals. Same evidence levels as above.
- Glucose control Limited · benefit
In 24 drug-naive adults with type 2 diabetes, 6 g/day tea for 12 weeks lowered fasting glucose by 3.0 +/-1.8 versus 0.6 +/-2.2 mmol/L; HbA1c fell about 2 versus 0.2 percentage points. No hypoglycemia was reported in this untreated sample; generalization to treated patients is unsafe.
PMID 20213586 PMID 42064816 - Abdominal fat Limited · benefit
An 80-person double-blind RCT of actiponin 450 mg/day for 12 weeks reported lower abdominal fat and weight. Published errata mean the exact magnitude needs review.
PMID 23804546 - Stress-related anxiety Limited · benefit
One RCT in healthy adults with chronic stress improved STAI scores. Mouse findings are mechanistic support, not trials in diagnosed anxiety.
PMID 30599899 PMID 23584055 PMID 26370834 - Lipids Limited · benefit
Lipid findings are mixed and may depend on genotype, form and population; a positive review and tea trial coexist with no lipid change in the small diabetes RCT.
PMID 37129524 PMID 28244718 PMID 20213586 - Fatty liver No established evidence
Rat/mouse studies suggest liver effects, but a broad Cochrane herbal review found insufficient evidence; no dedicated definitive human Gynostemma liver RCT is established.
PMID 23975682 PMID 30180767 PMID 32024509 - Blood pressure Limited · no benefit
Nitric-oxide release is preclinical; the diabetes RCT found no pressure change. This is not an established antihypertensive.
PMID 10534439 PMID 20213586 - Antioxidant / immune mechanisms No established evidence
Animal and in vitro antioxidant and immune signals have not established clinical protection or longer life in humans.
PMID 10794120 PMID 32990828
Reader questions
Tea or capsules?
Match the outcome and trial preparation. The 6 g tea result cannot be converted into an arbitrary extract dose.
Can I combine it with diabetes treatment or berberine?
Only after clinical review: the glucose effect may add to treatment, and no trial establishes safety of a multi-supplement glucose stack.
What if my blood pressure is already low?
Possible hypotension is a reason for review; high-dose reader reports are anecdotes, not dose-finding evidence.
Stack interactions
- Caution Glucose-lowering drugs and supplements [CAUTION // REVIEW]
Additive lowering is plausible from the glucose trial; direct combination-risk estimates are absent. Monitor with the prescriber.
PMID 20213586 PMID 40411617 - Caution Anticoagulants / antiplatelets [CAUTION // REVIEW]
A thrombocytopenia case supports caution; it does not quantify an anticoagulant interaction. Review surgery and unusual bleeding.
PMID 40779472 - Caution Blood-pressure drugs [CAUTION // REVIEW]
Nitric-oxide findings are preclinical. Possible additive hypotension warrants caution, especially with low baseline pressure.
PMID 10534439 - Caution Antidepressants / immunosuppressants [CAUTION // REVIEW]
A retrospective adaptogen-antidepressant adverse-event review and preclinical immune effects support review, not a proven interaction for every drug.
PMID 37829299 PMID 32990828 PMID 2364471
Red flags: interactions and who should avoid it
Interactions
Potential additive glucose lowering with insulin, sulfonylureas, metformin, berberine or EGCG; possible additive hypotension. Anticoagulant, antidepressant and immunosuppressant combinations require review; interaction certainty varies.
Avoid or ask a doctor first if
Avoid in pregnancy, breastfeeding and children because safety data are absent. Review autoimmune disease, immunosuppression, low blood pressure and surgery with a clinician. Stop and seek assessment for unusual bruising/bleeding, faintness or symptomatic low glucose; thrombocytopenia has a case report.
Sources (PubMed, 19)
- Antidiabetic effect of Gynostemma pentaphyllum tea in randomly assigned type 2 diabetic patients.
PMID 20213586 · 2010 · randomized controlled trialIn 24 drug-naive adults with type 2 diabetes, 6 g/day tea for 12 weeks lowered fasting glucose by 3.0 +/-1.8 versus 0.6 +/-2.2 mmol/L; HbA1c fell about 2 versus 0.2 percentage points. No hypoglycemia was reported in this untreated sample; generalization to treated patients is unsafe. Lipid findings are mixed and may depend on genotype, form and population; a positive review and tea trial coexist with no lipid change in the small diabetes RCT. Nitric-oxide release is preclinical; the diabetes RCT found no pressure change. This is not an established antihypertensive. Additive lowering is plausible from the glucose trial; direct combination-risk estimates are absent. Monitor with the prescriber. Variable saponin exposure; the clinical glucose study tested tea, not capsules. 6000 mg is the daily dry leaf mass, not absorbed saponin or brewed-liquid mass. No marker percentage or extract conversion is established.
- Efficacy and mechanisms of Gynostemma pentaphyllum as a medicine food homology herb in glycemic control: a meta-analysis with review.
PMID 42064816 · 2026 · systematic review / meta-analysisIn 24 drug-naive adults with type 2 diabetes, 6 g/day tea for 12 weeks lowered fasting glucose by 3.0 +/-1.8 versus 0.6 +/-2.2 mmol/L; HbA1c fell about 2 versus 0.2 percentage points. No hypoglycemia was reported in this untreated sample; generalization to treated patients is unsafe.
- Antiobesity effect of Gynostemma pentaphyllum extract (actiponin): a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
PMID 23804546 · 2014 · randomized controlled trialAn 80-person double-blind RCT of actiponin 450 mg/day for 12 weeks reported lower abdominal fat and weight. Published errata mean the exact magnitude needs review. Heat processing changes the gypenoside/damulin profile; clinical superiority over tea is not established. 450 mg compares full extract mass. The dossier gives no reliable marker percentage; zero means unknown, not absent. Trial errata require review.
- Supplementation with extract of Gynostemma pentaphyllum leaves reduces anxiety in healthy subjects with chronic psychological stress: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
PMID 30599899 · 2019 · randomized controlled trialOne RCT in healthy adults with chronic stress improved STAI scores. Mouse findings are mechanistic support, not trials in diagnosed anxiety.
- Anxiolytic effects of herbal ethanol extract from Gynostemma pentaphyllum in mice after exposure to chronic stress.
PMID 23584055 · 2013 · preclinical animal studyOne RCT in healthy adults with chronic stress improved STAI scores. Mouse findings are mechanistic support, not trials in diagnosed anxiety.
- Ameliorating effects of gypenosides on chronic stress-induced anxiety disorders in mice.
PMID 26370834 · 2015 · preclinical animal studyOne RCT in healthy adults with chronic stress improved STAI scores. Mouse findings are mechanistic support, not trials in diagnosed anxiety.
- The Role of Gynostemma pentaphyllum in Regulating Hyperlipidemia.
PMID 37129524 · 2023 · systematic review / meta-analysisLipid findings are mixed and may depend on genotype, form and population; a positive review and tea trial coexist with no lipid change in the small diabetes RCT.
- APOE and CETP TaqIB polymorphisms influence metabolic responses to Hibiscus sabdariffa L. and Gynostemma pentaphyllum Makino tea consumption in hypercholesterolemic subjects.
PMID 28244718 · 2017 · randomized controlled trialLipid findings are mixed and may depend on genotype, form and population; a positive review and tea trial coexist with no lipid change in the small diabetes RCT.
- Herbal medicines for fatty liver diseases.
PMID 23975682 · 2013 · systematic review / meta-analysisRat/mouse studies suggest liver effects, but a broad Cochrane herbal review found insufficient evidence; no dedicated definitive human Gynostemma liver RCT is established.
- Gypenoside UL4-Rich Gynostemma pentaphyllum Extract Exerts a Hepatoprotective Effect on Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
PMID 30180767 · 2018 · preclinical animal studyRat/mouse studies suggest liver effects, but a broad Cochrane herbal review found insufficient evidence; no dedicated definitive human Gynostemma liver RCT is established.
- Structural modulation of gut microbiota during alleviation of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with Gynostemma pentaphyllum in rats.
PMID 32024509 · 2020 · preclinical animal studyRat/mouse studies suggest liver effects, but a broad Cochrane herbal review found insufficient evidence; no dedicated definitive human Gynostemma liver RCT is established.
- The direct release of nitric oxide by gypenosides derived from the herb Gynostemma pentaphyllum.
PMID 10534439 · 1999 · preclinical animal studyNitric-oxide release is preclinical; the diabetes RCT found no pressure change. This is not an established antihypertensive. Nitric-oxide findings are preclinical. Possible additive hypotension warrants caution, especially with low baseline pressure.
- Antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of Anoectochilus formosanus and Gynostemma pentaphyllum.
PMID 10794120 · 2000 · preclinical animal studyAnimal and in vitro antioxidant and immune signals have not established clinical protection or longer life in humans.
- Effects of extraction methods on antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities of polysaccharides from superfine powder Gynostemma pentaphyllum Makino.
PMID 32990828 · 2020 · in vitro studyAnimal and in vitro antioxidant and immune signals have not established clinical protection or longer life in humans. A retrospective adaptogen-antidepressant adverse-event review and preclinical immune effects support review, not a proven interaction for every drug.
- Antidiabetic potentials of gypenosides: A review on the preclinical effects in glucose and insulin modulation as well as diabetes-related complications.
PMID 40411617 · 2025 · narrative reviewAdditive lowering is plausible from the glucose trial; direct combination-risk estimates are absent. Monitor with the prescriber.
- A Case of Thrombocytopenia Caused by Gynostemma Pentaphyllum.
PMID 40779472 · 2025 · clinical report / other studyA thrombocytopenia case supports caution; it does not quantify an anticoagulant interaction. Review surgery and unusual bleeding.
- Harder, better, faster, stronger? Retrospective chart review of adverse events of interactions between adaptogens and antidepressant drugs.
PMID 37829299 · 2023 · observational studyA retrospective adaptogen-antidepressant adverse-event review and preclinical immune effects support review, not a proven interaction for every drug.
- [Immunomodulatory action of the total saponin of Gynostemma pentaphylla].
PMID 2364471 · 1990 · preclinical animal studyA retrospective adaptogen-antidepressant adverse-event review and preclinical immune effects support review, not a proven interaction for every drug.
- Formulation design, characterization, and in vitro and in vivo evaluation of nanostructured lipid carriers containing a bile salt for oral delivery of gypenosides.
PMID 31015758 · 2019 · preclinical animal studyOral delivery research is preclinical; lipid-carrier results do not prove better human outcomes. No validated general extract dose or universal saponin percentage is supplied. Do not borrow the actiponin target.
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