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Guggulipid

Guggulipid (Commiphora mukul) is a herb used in Indian medicine to improve blood lipid profiles. Its active constituents are a group of plant steroids named guggulsterones present in the dried resin It is closely related to the herb myrrh.

Guggulipid is used in these conditions:

Acne:

An Indian study compared oral guggulipid with a common pharmaceutical treatment (tetracycline) for the treatment of acne and found guggulipid to be superior in its ability to reduce acne lesions. The researchers remarked that “acne patients with oily faces responded remarkably better to guggulipid”.

Cholesterol:

Well-conducted clinical trials have demonstrated the ability of guggulipid to lower elevated serum cholesterol levels by stimulating thyroid function, inhibiting the body’s production of cholesterol and by facilitating the body’s excretion of cholesterol. In addition guggulipid lowers LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) levels; lowers elevated serum triglycerides levels; and increases HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol levels in approximately 60% of patients.

In one human study in India, four weeks of guggulipid therapy resulted in a reduction of total serum cholesterol of 23.6% and a reduction in serum triglycerides of 22.6% in approximately 75% of subjects.

In another study, guggulipid compared favourably with the pharmaceutical cholesterol-lowering drug, clofibrate.

The lipid lowering effects of guggulipid become evident after approximately three to four weeks of daily therapy.

Hypothyroidism:

Guggulipid helps to increase the production of the thyroid hormone – T3, making it useful for the treatment of hypothyroidism.

Osteoarthritis:

A clinical study found that two months of treatment with guggulipid significantly improved the symptoms (including pain, stifness and mood) of osteoarthritis patients.

Weight Loss:

Guggulipid facilitates weight loss by stimulating the production of thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones increase the body’s metabolic rate which helps to “burn” body fat for the production of energy.

A recent double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial found that subjects receiving guggulipid for three months experienced more than 5 kg of additional weight loss compared to placebo-receiving patients.

Dosage:

1,500 mg per day (using guggulipid capsules that are standardized to contain 5% of the active constituents, guggulsterones).

For acne and osteoarthritis, the dosage is 1,000 mg per day.

References

Acne

· Thappa, D. M., et al. Nodulocystic acne: oral gugulipid versus tetracycline. J Dermatol. 21(10):729-731, 1994.

Cholesterol

· Urizar, N. L., et al. Gugulipid: a natural cholesterol-lowering agent. Annual Review of Nutrition. 23:303-313, 2003.

Hypothyroidism

· Panda, et al: Gululu (Commiphora Mukul) induces triiodothyronine production: Possible involvement of lipid peroxidation. Life Sciences. 65(12):137-141, 1999.

Osteoarthritis

· Singh, B. B., et al. The effectiveness of Commiphora mukul for osteoarthritis of the knee: an outcomes study. Altern Ther Health Med. 9(3):74-79, 2003.

Weight Loss/Obesity

Paranjape, P., et al. Ayuvedic treatment of obesity: a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 29(1):1-11, 1990.

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