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Gugulipids are preparations made from the gummy resin of the mukul myrrh tree (Commiphora mukul) which grows in India and is in the same genus as that which produces to substance known as myrrh. They have been used in classic Ayurvedic medicine to treat a variety of conditions including lipid disorders, obesity and arthritis.
History; Source
Used in India for centuries, gugulipids were researched significantly since the 1960s for obesity and lipid disorders.
The active ingredients are the guggulsterones, which can be extracted with ethyl acetate and standardized within the extract.
Function; Reasons For Use
Gugulipid has been shown to effectively lower serum cholesterol and triglycerides, lower LDL and raise HDL levels. Its primary mode of action seems to be the ability to increase the number of LDL receptors on the liver. It has also been implicated to increase bile secretion and decrease cholesterol synthesis, possibly due to the increased LDL receptors on liver cells. Other studies suggest that it may stimulate the thyroid gland's function.
Gugulipid has also been shown to protect against atheroma formation, as well as regression of the atherosclerosis in vessels previously known to have the plaquing.
Gugulipid has also been shown to decrease platelet aggregation and increase fibrinolytic activity in patients with coronary artery disease.
Studies showing the efficacy of gugulipid in cholesterol and triglyceride lowering have shown drops in cholesterol and triglyceride levels of 17% and 30% respectively following 12 weeks of therapy. These studies have been repeated many times with similar results, some showing decreases in cholesterol of up to 27%.
Directions
As a single ingredient, individuals should try to get 50-75mg of guggulsterones per day in divided doses. Much less (10-25mg/day) can be used when added with synergistic ingredients for long-term cholesterol management.
While gugulipid is a natural extract, it is very powerful, and should be treated as such.
Counter-Indicators and Warnings
Gugulipids should be used with caution by persons with with hepatic disease, inflamatory bowel disease, and diarrhea.
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Gugulipids can help prevent the following:
KEY | | May do some good |
GLOSSARY
Arterial (Arteries, Artery)
Blood that leaves the heart. When it leaves the right ventricle, it is venous blood; and when it leaves the left ventricle, through the aorta, it is fresh and oxygenated. After it has passed out to the capillaries and started to return, it is venous blood.
Arthritis (Arthritic)
Inflammation of a joint, usually accompanied by pain, swelling, and stiffness, and resulting from infection, trauma, degenerative changes, metabolic disturbances, or other causes. It occurs in various forms, such as bacterial arthritis, osteoarthritis, or rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis, the most common form, is characterized by a gradual loss of cartilage and often an overgrowth of bone at the joints.
Atherosclerosis
Common form of arteriosclerosis associated with the formation of atheromas which are deposits of yellow plaques containing cholesterol, lipids, and lipophages within the intima and inner media of arteries. This results in a narrowing of the arteries, which reduces the blood and oxygen flow to the heart and brain as well as to other parts of the body and can lead to a heart attack, stroke, or loss of function or gangrene of other tissues.
Ayurvedic (Ayurveda)
Type of alternative medicine in which diet and therapies, such as herbal inhalation and massage, are dictated by individual's body type; 4,000 year-old traditional Indian system believed to be helpful to those suffering insomnia, hypertension and digestive problems.
Bile
A bitter, yellow-green secretion of the liver. Bile is stored in the gallbladder and is released when fat enters the first part of the small intestine (duodenum) in order to aid digestion.
Cholesterol
A waxy, fat-like substance manufactured in the liver and found in all tissues, it facilitates the transport and absorption of fatty acids. In foods, only animal products contain cholesterol. An excess of cholesterol in the bloodstream can contribute to the development of atherosclerosis.
Diarrhea
Excessive discharge of contents of bowel.
Fibrinolysis
A normal ongoing process within the body that dissolves fibrin and results in the removal of small blood clots.
Fibrinolytic
Fibrinolytic activity: Clot removal.
High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL)
Also known as "good" cholesterol, HDLs are large, dense, protein-fat particles that circulate in the blood picking up already used and unused cholesterol and taking them back to the liver as part of a recycling process. Higher levels of HDLs are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease because the cholesterol is cleared more readily from the blood.
Lipid (Lipids)
Fat-soluble substances derived from animal or vegetable cells by nonpolar solvents (e.g. ether); the term can include the following types of materials: fatty acids, glycerides, phospholipids, alcohols and waxes.
Liver (Hepatic)
The largest and one of the most complex organs of the body, the liver is responsible for much of the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It is the site of much of the body's detoxification. It is connected very closely with digestion and the regulation of blood sugar, among many other functions. Found behind the ribs on the right side of the abdomen, it has many important functions such as removing harmful material from the blood, making enzymes and bile that help digest food, and converting food into substances needed for life and growth. Hepatic: Pertaining to the liver.
Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)
Also known as "bad" cholesterol, LDLs are large, dense, protein-fat particles composed of a moderate proportion of protein and a high proportion of cholesterol. Higher levels of LDLs are associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease.
Milligram (mg, Milligrams)
0.001 or a thousandth of a gram.
Platelet Aggregation
Platelets are the small, rather uniform fragments of large bone marrow cells that aid the blood in coagulation, hemostasis, inflammation, and thrombus formation. Mild subclotting and sticking is a common early condition that can lead to thrombosis, atherosclerosis, and strokes, and can be helped by an aspirin a day, better fat digestion, and Ceanothus.
Serum
The cell-free fluid of the bloodstream. It appears in a test tube after the blood clots and is often used in expressions relating to the levels of certain compounds in the blood stream.
Synergistic
Having the property that the total combined effect of two or more factors exceeds the sum of their individual effects.
Thyroid (Thyroid Gland)
The thyroid gland is an organ with many veins, anchored around the front of the throat near the voice box. It is essential to normal body growth in infancy and childhood. It absorbs iodine from the diet and releases thyroid hormones - iodine-containing compounds that help govern the rate of the body's metabolism (its total life processes), affecting body temperature, and regulating protein, fat and carbohydrate catabolism in all cells. They keep up growth hormone release, skeletal maturation, and heart rate, force, and output. They promote central nervous system growth, stimulate the making of many enzymes, and are necessary for muscle tone and vigor. To a high degree, metabolism is regulated by the hormone thyroxine, which can be made by the thyroid if enough organic iodine is available. An enlarged thyroid gland that is not cancer is sometimes called goitre.
Triglyceride (Triglycerides)
The main form of fat found in foods and the human body. Containing three fatty acids and one unit of glycerol, triglycerides are stored in adipose cells in the body, which, when broken down, release fatty acids into the blood. Triglycerides are fat storage molecules and are the major lipid component of the diet.
Last updated: Sep 28, 2008
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