Guggul (6% Guggulsterones E &Z), 60 Vcaps - Nature's Way

Guggul Extract ( Commiphora mukul) is standardized to 6% guggulsterones E & Z.  Guggul has been clinically shown to promote cardiovascular health.
Recommendation:  Take 1 guggul capsule two or three times daily with food or water.
Guggul extract Supplement Facts:
Guggul extract - 425 mg 
    (gum resin), 6% guggulsterones E & Z

* Guggul Daily Value not established

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Subscribe to a FREE Supplement Research Update newsletter. Twice a month you will receive an email with a review of several studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics -- including guggul herb -- and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Caution: Not recommended for use by pregnant or lactating women.  if you are using prescription medication, consult with your healthcare professional before taking guggul herb.

Diet Rx with guggul extract for better cholesterol and weight control management
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Benefits of Diet Rx with guggul extract
All natural appetite suppressant, decreases appetite so you eat less
Helps you maintain healthy blood sugar levels
Helps you maintain healthy cholesterol and lipid levels
Provides a variety of antioxidant from two dozen herbs and nutrients
Provides healthy fiber
Improves energy
Balances mood
Improves mental concentration and focus
Improves will power and choice of food selection

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Guggul and Inflammation
Guggul also has anti-inflammatory activity. One study reports that it may be beneficial in osteoarthritis. Myrrhanol A, a new triterpene isolated from guggul (Balsamodendron or Commiphora mukul Hook.)-gum resin, displays potent anti-inflammatory effect.

Guggul dosage
The dosage of guggulsterones is 25 mg two or three times daily. Most extracts contain 2.5–5% guggulsterones and can be taken daily for 3 to six months.

Guggul herb summary
Guggul appears to be beneficial in those who have metabolic syndrome which includes high blood lipids, high blood sugar, obesity, and an overall inflammatory pattern. Whether guggul lowers cholesterol levels is still being evaluated and no convincing conclusion can be drawn at this time.

Guggul Human Research Update
Guggul (Commiphora mukul) potentially ameliorates hypothyroidism in female mice.
Phytother Res. 2005 Jan;19(1):78-80.
The efficacy of guggul, the gum resin of Commiphora mukul in regulating hypothyroidism was evaluated in female mice. In addition to estimating serum levels of thyroxine and triiodothyronine, hepatic 5' monodeiodinase, hepatic glucose-6-phospatase and lipid-peroxidation (LPO), the activities of the anti-oxidative enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), were investigated. While 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU, 10.00 mg/kg/d for 30 days) induced hypothyroidism in mice, as evidenced by a decrease in thyroid hormone concentration and in hepatic 5'D-I activity, simultaneous administration of guggul (200 mg/kg/d for 30 days) reversed this effect, indicating its potential to stimulate thyroid function. Although in PTU treated animals a marginal increase in hepatic LPO was observed, when simultaneously treated with guggul, it was decreased. A parallel increase in the activity of endogenous antioxidants, SOD and CAT, in the latter group indicated the safe and antiperoxidative nature of guggul. These findings suggest the possible use of guggul in the amelioration of hypothyroidism.

Guggul and Prescription Drugs
The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, August 2004.
Guggul may interfere with many prescription drugs, including the popular anti-cholesterol drugs called statins. In a preliminary study, guggulsterone, the active ingredient in the herbal remedy guggul, causes changes in human and rodent cells that induce the body to break down many drugs, including cancer drugs and AIDS medications. Resin from the guggul tree has been used for more than 3,000 years in India to treat a range of disorders. Previous research showed that guggul lowers cholesterol by blocking a substance that keeps the body from getting rid of cholesterol. Guggulsterone likely affects other drugs because it binds to a protein known as pregnane X receptor (PXR). This, in turn, induces the body to "turn on" a gene that encodes another protein that breaks down many different types of drugs, thereby reducing their levels in the body. Some anticancer drugs, such as cyclophosphamide, need to be broken down by PXR to become active. Guggulsterone may interfere by augmenting that process, thereby raising levels of the drugs in the body. Moreover, guggulsterone appears to also turn some other drugs, such as acetaminophen, into toxic compounds. St. John's wort, also activates PXR, and can therefore interfere with other drugs. Guggulsterone has been used for years, and is likely safe if people are not taking any prescription medications. However, guggulsterone should be used cautiously by people who take prescription drugs.

Guggulipid for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia: a randomized controlled trial.
JAMA. 2003 Aug 13;290(6):765-72.
Herbal extracts from Commiphora mukul ( guggul ) have been widely used in Asia as cholesterol-lowering agents, and their popularity is increasing in the United States. Recently, guggulsterones, the purported bioactive compounds of guggul, have been shown to be potent antagonists of 2 nuclear hormone receptors involved in cholesterol metabolism, establishing a plausible mechanism of action for the hypolipidemic effects of these extracts. However, there are currently no published safety or efficacy data on the use of guggul extracts in Western populations. To study the short-term safety and efficacy of 2 doses of a standardized guggul extract (guggulipid, containing 2.5% guggulsterones) in healthy adults with hyperlipidemia eating a typical Western diet. Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial using a parallel design, conducted March 2000-August 2001. A total of 103 ambulatory, community-dwelling, healthy adults with hypercholesterolemia in the Philadelphia, Pa, metropolitan area. Oral, 3 times daily doses of standard-dose guggul (1000 mg), high-dose guggul (2000 mg), or matching placebo. Percentage change in levels of directly measured low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) after 8 weeks of therapy. Secondary outcome measures included levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides, and directly measured very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), as well as adverse events reports and laboratory safety measures including electrolyte levels and hepatic and renal function. Compared with participants randomized to placebo, in whom levels of LDL-C decreased by 5%, both standard-dose guggul and high-dose guggul raised levels of LDL-C by 4% and 5%, respectively, at 8 weeks, for a net positive change of 9% to 10%. There were no significant changes in levels of total cholesterol, HDL-C, triglycerides, or VLDL-C in response to treatment with guggul in the intention-to-treat analysis. While guggul was generally well tolerated, 6 participants treated with guggul developed a hypersensitivity rash compared with none in the placebo group. Despite plausible mechanisms of action, guggul did not appear to improve levels of serum cholesterol over the short term in this population of adults with hypercholesterolemia, and might in fact raise levels of LDL-C. Guggulipid also appeared to cause a dermatologic hypersensitivity reaction in some patients.

The effectiveness of Commiphora mukul (guggul) for osteoarthritis of the knee: an outcomes study.
Singh BB,. Southern California University of Health Sciences, USA.
Altern Ther Health Med. 2003 May-Jun;9(3):74-9.
Ayurveda, the traditional system of healthcare in India, has many remedies for Osteoarthritis. One of the ingredients most commonly found in Ayurvedic arthritis formulas is guggul, an oleoresin of the herb Commiphora mukul. The authors have conducted both preclinical and clinical investigations of guggul for reduction of pain, stiffness, and improved function, and to determine tolerability in older patients with a diagnosis of OA of the knee.  Overall data indicate significant improvement with guggul for participants during the trial in both scales and objective measures used for assessment purposes. There were no side effects reported during the trial. Guggul appears to be a relatively safe and effective supplement to reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Guggul Laboratory Studies
The hypolipidemic natural product Commiphora mukul and its component guggulsterone inhibit oxidative modification of LDL.
Atherosclerosis. 2004 Feb;172(2):239-46.
There is accumulating evidence that LDL oxidation is essential for atherogenesis, and that antioxidants that prevent this oxidation may either slow down or prevent atherogenesis. In the present study, we found that Commiphora mukul (guggul) and its cholesterol-lowering component, guggulsterone, effectively inhibited LDL oxidation. This inhibition by guggul was assessed by the decrease in the following parameters describing LDL oxidation: conjugated dienes, relative electrophoretic mobility (REM), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, lipid hydroperoxides, oxidation-specific immune epitopes as detected with a monoclonal antibody against oxidized LDL, and the accumulation of LDL derived cholesterol esters in mouse peritoneal macrophages. We concluded that guggul and its lipid-lowering component, guggulsterone, significantly inhibit LDL oxidation. The combination of antioxidant and lipid-lowering properties of guggul and guggulsterone makes them especially beneficial against atherogenesis.

Guggul extract availability
Guggul extract is sold in a variety of ways. You can find guggul as the plain powder or as 5 percent and 10 percent guggul lipids. I have also seen guggul sold as a 2.5 percent guggulsterone extract and 6 percent guggul sterone extract.

Guggul supplement emails
Q.  Is guggul extract only to be used for three to six months? My cholesterol problem is not dietary, and therefore would require a product that can be taken indefinitely. Can guggul be used for life?
   A. A review of medical studies published in the Western scientific literature does not show any long term studies with guggul herb done in humans. Therefore, it is difficult to say whether guggul can be used for life.

 Q.  My doctor put me on Lipitor which is a cholesterol reducing statin drug. I have a friend who studies Ayurvedic medicine and she told me about guggul. Can you tell me more about this herb, can it be combined with statin drugs?
   A.  Guggul (Commiphora mukul) a resin from the guggul tree, has been used for more than 2,000 years in India to treat a range of disorders. In the 1980s, an extract of the resin--dubbed guggulipid--began to be marketed as a cholesterol-lowering agent. The plant compound's mode of action is quite different from that of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. This means that it or other compounds that work similarly could potentially be used in combination with statins, however no scientific studies have been done combining the two. Some of guggul's active components, guggulsterones, work by blocking a substance that stops the body from getting rid of cholesterol. Statins, on the other hand, block the body from making more cholesterol.
   In addition to lowering cholesterol, guggul has anti-inflammatory activity. There hasn’t been enough research with the extracts to determine the side effect profile. The dosage of guggul is about 500 mg twice daily. Most extracts contain 2.5–5% guggulsterones.

Q. I have been taking guggul lipid 500mg Natures Sunshine for 2 days and now have a terrible rash about my neck and chest. Is this a reaction to the product?
   A. We have not heard of this type of reaction to guggul before but it is possible that certain people have unexpected reactions to certain herbs.

Q. I have been benefiting a great deal from your newsletter. Gum Guggul, Bedellium gum". Would it affect the liver in a negative way if the " GGT " is high?
   A. We don't have specific info on guggul and liver enzymes so we don't know how guggul affects GGT or other liver enzymes.

Q. I take 500mg of guggul lipids twice a day 2.5% sterones for high cholesteral and trigliscerides Question can I safely double the amount taking 500 mg of 2.5% sterones 4 times a day
   A. We suggest your doctor read this page and guide you.