The resin of the guggul plant, which has been used traditionally in Ayurvedic medicine, may help to treat a number of conditions, including acne, high cholesterol and obesity. However, evidence is still preliminary and contradictory regarding the effectiveness of using guggul to treat these conditions. Guggul may also interfere with certain medications and cause side effects. Always talk to your doctor before you begin to take any new supplements or medication.
Weight Loss
Guggul may have a positive effect on thyroid function, possibly increasing your metabolism and thus helping with weight loss. In a study published in the January-March 1995 issue of the "Journal of Postgraduate Medicine," people who were given guggul and received advice about diet and exercise lost more weight than those who only received the diet and exercise advice, especially if they weighed more than about 200 lbs.
Dosage
Speak to your doctor before taking guggul to make sure it would be safe for you and to determine the appropriate dosage. Drugs.com recommends that you take 250 mg of guggul three times per day for weight-loss purposes. The study reported in the "Journal of Postgraduate Medicine" used 1.5 g to 3 g of guggul per day for 30 days to achieve weight-loss results.
Side Effects and Safety
Side effects from guggul use include loose stools, hiccups, rash, nausea, headaches and belching. Guggul may interact with the medications diltiazem and propranolol, as well as thyroid medications, NSAIDs and warfarin. The safety of guggul for pregnant and lactating women has not been determined, nor has the toxicity level for this supplement. Always discuss taking any new supplements or medications with your healthcare provider.
Considerations
The evidence on the effectiveness of guggul for weight loss is preliminary, and guggul appears to be most effective for this purpose in people who weigh more than about 200 lbs. A larger clinical study using placebo controls would help to verify the effectiveness of guggul and its safety at the dosage used for weight loss.
References
- Drugs.com: Guggul
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: About Herbs: Guggul
- "Journal of Postgraduate Medicine"; Conceptual and Methodologic Challenges of Assessing the Short-term Efficacy of Guggulu in Obesity: Data Emergent from a Naturalistic Clinical Trial; A.D. Bhatt, et al.; January-March 1995
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