GYMNEMA

(Lat.).n. n. Ji2m(gu6m)-ne(na)'ma3. Gen., -nem'atos (-at is). From yv^voy, naked, and vrj^a, a thread. Fr., gymneme. 1. A genus of twining asclepiadaceous shrubs or unders'hrubs of the Marsdeniere. 2. Of Katinesque, the genus Pluchea. The Gymnemce of Decaisne are a division of the Stape/ice. The Gymnemecs of Miquel are a subtribe of the Stapeliece. [B, 212; B, 42, 121, 170 (a, 24).] G. aurantiacum. See LEPTA DENI A nticulata.G. balsam i cum. Fr., g. balsam i que. See PLUCHEA balsam if era.G. lactiferum. The Ceylon cow-plant; a species furnishing a white, pleasant juice, used as a substitute for cows' milk. The leaves are eaten as a vegetable. [B, 180 (a, 24).] G. malayanum. A variety of G. lactiferum growing in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. [B, 212.] G. inelicidum. See G. silvestre. G. nitens. See G. malayanum. G. silvestre. A species found in Ceylon and the Indian Peninsula, where the bitter root is used in snake-bites. The leaves are bitterish, astringent, and acidulous, contain gymnemic acid, and, when chewed, temporarily destroy the power of tasting sweet or bitter substances. [B, 180 (a, 24); "Am. Jour of Pharm.," July, 1888, p. 336 (a, 17).] G. zeylanicum. See G. lactiferum. [s. 257]