Xanthones in Mangosteen by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Latest Mangosteen Xanthones research

Xanthones are a class of polyphenolic compounds that commonly occur in plants and have been shown to have extensive biological and pharmacological activities. Recently, the pharmacological properties of xanthones in the cardiovascular system have attracted great interest.

Benefit of Xanthones
Xanthones and xanthone derivatives have been shown to have beneficial effects on some cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic heart disease, atherosclerosis, hypertension and thrombosis. The protective effects of xanthones in the cardiovascular system may be due to their antioxidant, antiinflammatory, platelet aggregation inhibitory, antithrombotic and/or vasorelaxant activities. In particular, the antagonism of endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitors by xanthones may represent the basis for improved endothelial function and for reduction of events associated with atherosclerosis. Xanthones may also have anti-tumor activity.

Mangosteen pill 500 mg (whole fruit) - ORGANIC, direct from Thailand
Developed by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Made from the highest quality ORGANIC raw material available, direct from Thailand. The actual active ingredients, xanthones, are mostly in the rind and seed, and less in the fruit. We use the whole fruit - rind, seed and fruit - in order to provide you with the full spectrum of xanthones. There are about 20 different xanthones in the whole fruit. Ninety-five percent of this product is rind and seed.

Mangosteen Capsule Supplement
Mangosteen - 500 mg *
   (
Garcinia mangostana whole fruit, 95 percent is pericarp or rind)

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

Additional beneficial fruit and berry extract supplements include Goji berry, Noni fruit extract, Pomegranate fruit extract, Acai berry extract and Cranberry fruit extract. These are all available at Physician Formulas website.

Mangosteen Xanthones
High amounts of xanthones are found in Mangosteen. Mangosteen is a fruit grown in Thailand and Myanmar whose rind (the mangosteen pericarp) appears to have some medicinal properties, probably due the high amount of xanthones. Xanthones can cause apoptosis which could be beneficial in cancer.

What's in Mangosteen
Several compounds in mangosteen appear to be active, particularly xanthones. Some of these xanthones include mangostin, mangostenol, mangostenone A, mangostenone B, trapezifolixanthone, tovophyllin B, alpha- and beta-mangostins, garcinone B, mangostinone, mangostanol, mangosharin, and the flavonoid epicatechin.

Xanthones Research Update
Induction of apoptosis by xanthones from mangosteen in human leukemia cell lines.

J Nat Prod. 2003 Aug;66(8):1124-7.
We examined the effects of six xanthones from the pericarps of mangosteen, Garcinia mangostana, on the cell growth inhibition of human leukemia cell line HL60. All xanthones displayed growth inhibitory effects. Among them, alpha-mangostin showed complete inhibition at 10 microM through the induction of apoptosis.

Antimycobacterial activity of prenylated xanthones from the fruits of mangosteen.
Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo). 2003 Jul;51(7):857-9.
Prenylated xanthones, isolated from the fruit hulls and the edible arils and seeds of mangosteen, were tested for their antituberculosis potential. Alpha- and beta-mangostins and garcinone B exhibited strong inhibitory effect against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Garcinone E, a xanthone derivative, has potent cytotoxic effect against hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines.
Planta Med. 2002 Nov;68(11):975-9.
Treatment of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) with chemotherapy has generally been disappointing and it is most desirable to have more effective new drugs. We extracted and purified 6 xanthone compounds from the rinds (peel) of the fruits of Garcinia mangostana L. ( mangosteen ), and then tested the cytotoxic effects of these compounds on a panel of 14 different human cancer cell lines including 6 hepatoma cell lines. Our results have shown that one of the xanthone derivatives from mangosteen which could be identified as garcinone E has potent cytotoxic effect on all HCC cell lines as well as on the other gastric and lung cancer cell lines included in the screen. We suggest that garcinone E extract from mangosteen may be potentially useful for the treatment of certain types of cancer.

Evaluation of the antifungal activity of natural xanthones from Garcinia mangostana (mangosteen) and their synthetic derivatives.
J Nat Prod. 1997 May;60(5):519-24.
The antifungal activity of several xanthones isolated from the fruit hulls of mangosteen and some derivatives of mangostin against three phytopathogenic fungi, Fusarium oxysporum vasinfectum, Alternaria tenuis, and Dreschlera oryzae, has been evaluated. The natural xanthones from mangosteen showed good inhibitory activity against the three fungi.

Xanthones questions
Q. I recently heard of Xanthosteen? what is it?
   A. Xanthosteen is a trademark of the company MB North America which contains 10% alpha-magostin and 20% polyphenols.

Q. Subject: Xanthones - I am looking to find out some information in regard to 500mg Mangosteen Capsules. In comparison to the Mangoxan juice or Mangosteen Juice Blend Garcinia Mangostan - what is the quantiity of Xanthones? I am thinking of xanthones to fight arthritis inflammation and would like to get the most amount of Xanthones for the money. Is 1000mg a day of xanthone in the mangosteen capsules the most effective amount to use for my purposes based on any studies? Or should I take perhaps more xanthones per day.
   A. You may need to contact Mangoxan juice or Mangosteen Juice Blend Garcinia Mangostan companies to find out about their xanthone amounts in their juices. Fruit juices also have a combination of other fruits so the comparison becomes murky. Keep in mind that just going for the highest xanthones may be simplistic. Long term side effects of xanthones are not known.
   We wish we could give a confident answer, but since human studies with mangosteen and xanthones are lacking, it is impossible to say what the ideal dosage is, plus, the ideal xanthone dosage may vary from person to person, and could vary based on the medical condition being treated, other supplements used, one's diet, other medicines used, etc. There's also no guarantee that xanthones are a good choice to treat inflammation that you are having.

Q. I am aware of mangosteen and the concentration of xanthones in that fruit. What I am unable to find out is: Are Xanthones found in any other fruits? If so, it would then substantiate Dr. Andrew Weil's claim that Xango Mangosteen fruit juice is 'just a expensive fruit juice, you'd be just as well off squeezing your own fruit juice from other fresh fruits.
   A. Xanthones are found in other fruits but their concentrations are minimal to the amount of xanthones found in mangosteen. Each fruit or fruit juice has its unique sets of beneficial compounds and hence it is a good idea to have a variety in one's diet or to alternate the use of various fruit extract supplements.

Q. I would like to know if it is okay to use mangosteen which has xanthones and so does St. John's Wort together with Zoloft and Xanax? I know you can't use St. John's wort with these meds. and it contains xanthones in it.
   A. As far as we know, St. John's wort does not have a large amount of xanthones. Mangosteen is a safe supplement and one capsule a day should not interfere with medicines, but we have no studies to prove this viewpoint and your doctor would need to make the final decision.