Gypenosides are a group of phytochemicals found in the Gynostemma pentaphyllum plant. Gynostemma pentaphyllum is also commonly referred to as jiaogulan, and it is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine as a general tonic. Gypenosides may have adaptogenic properties and may be able to reduce the effects of stress in humans and animals because of their ability to interact with the central nervous system, possibly reducing cortisol and its detrimental effects. For example, in one study researchers administered gypenosides to mice and then exposed them to experimental exercise induced stress. Administration of the gypenosides caused significantly increased time to exhaustion for the mice compared to a placebo, and this was accompanied by a significant reduction in blood lactate concentration and blood glucose concentration. Therefore gypenosides may have significant performance enhancing effects in animals, which suggests that they may also possess similar effects in humans.
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