Guggulipid

This natural ingredient is derived from the mixture of plant chemicals (ketonic steroids) from the gum resin of Commiphora mukul, called guggulipid, and is an approved treatment of hyperlipidemia in India. It has been a mainstay of traditional Indian herbal medicine (Ayurveda) approaches in preventing high cholesterol and atherosclerosis. Clinical studies indicate it to be effective in the treatment of elevated cholesterol, elevated triglyceride levels and elevated LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. Studies have also shown that LDL oxidation, which is the main cause of plaque build in the arteries, can be prevented or at least decreased by the antioxidant activity of Guggul. Clinical studies on Guggul indicate that its hypolipidemic activity (decreasing cholesterol and other lipids) can be attributed to more than one mechanism. Three of the possible mechanisms include inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis, enhancing the rate of excretion of cholesterol and promoting rapid degradation of cholesterol.

What is Gugulipid?

Gugulipid is a natural remedy that is extracted from the sticky resinous sap secreted from the bark of the Commiphora tree. This small thorny tree is also known as Commiphora Wightii, Mukul Myrrh, Guggal or Guggul. The Commiphora tree is common in northern India and is also infrequently found from northern Africa to central Asia. It prefers arid and semi-arid climates and can acclimate to poor soil.
Gugulipid historical information

Gugulipid’s healing qualities were recognized centuries ago and have been part of the ancient Indian Ayurvedic medicine, a traditional Hindu system of medicine for over 2500 years. Considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science, Ayurveda is a holistic approach to health that is designed to help people live long, healthy, and well-balanced lives. Literature for these medical practices appeared as encyclopedias of medicine compiled from literature dating from mid-first millennium BC to about 500 AD. Guggul is mentioned in original Sanskrit verse from the Atharva Veda text which incorporates much of the early traditions of healing.

Gugulipid has been traditionally used alone or combined with other herbs for the treatment of a variety of ailments including rheumatism, arthritis, skin diseases, pains in the nervous system, obesity and urinary disorders.

Pioneering work in India on Guggul’s effect on lipid metabolism in the 1960s resulted in further studies which identified it’s hypolipidedmic (cholesterol-lowering) properties. In 1988 guggulipid was first available on the Indian market as a hypolipidaemic agent.