| Guggul, the sticky gum
resin from the mukul myrrh tree, plays a major role in the traditional
herbal medicine of India. It was traditionally combined with other herbs
for the treatment of arthritis, skin diseases, pains in the nervous system,
obesity, digestive problems, cardiovascular problems, mouth infections,
heart attack, and menstrual problems.
WHAT IS GUGGUL USED FOR TODAY?
In the early 1960s, Indian researchers discovered an ancient Sanskrit medical
text that appears to clearly describe the symptoms and treatment of high
cholesterol. One of the main recommendations was guggul. Subsequent tests in
animals found that guggul gum both lowered cholesterol levels and also
separately protected against the development of hardening of the arteries.
Numerous research trials followed this discovery, culminating in preliminary
studies examining guggul's effectiveness in humans. The evidence was strong
enough for the Indian government to approve guggul as a treatment for high
cholesterol. It appears that guggul can lower cholesterol by about 11 to 12% and
triglycerides by 12.5 to 17%. The full benefits may take several months to
develop.
NEGATIVE INTERACTIONS
If you are taking these drugs:
o MAO inhibitors: The caffeine in green tea could
cause serious problems
o Coumadin (warfarin): Large doses of green tea could interfere with its
effectiveness, because green tea contains vitamin K, which directly counteracts
Coumadin's blood-thinning action.
SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FOR USING GUGGUL
A double-blind placebo-controlled study of guggul for reducing cholesterol
enrolled 61 individuals and followed them for 24 weeks.9 After 12 weeks of
following a healthy diet, half the participants received placebo and the
other half received guggul at a dose providing 100 mg of guggulsterones
daily. The results after 24 weeks of treatment showed that the treated
group experienced an 11.7% decrease in total cholesterol, along with a 12.7%
decrease in LDL ("bad") cholesterol, a 12% decrease in triglycerides,
and an 11.1% decrease in the total cholesterol! HDL ("good")
cholesterol ratio. These improvements were significantly greater than what
was seen in the placebo group.
Similar results were seen in a placebo-controlled trial of 40 individuals (the
study report didn't state whether or not it was double-blind) Another
double-blind study of 228 individuals given either guggul or the standard
drug clofibrate found approximately equal efficacy between the two treatments.
Guggul is also known as:
Commiphora mukul ,
Guggulipid, Gum Gugul
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