UGGUL IS AN EXTRACT FROM the resin of the mukul myrrh tree (Commiphora mukul). The medicinal use of guggul dates back to 600 BC, when it was used for obesity, atherosclerosis, and various inflammatory conditions. 1,2 The plant sterols E-and Z-guggulsterone are believed to be the bioactive compounds. 2,3 Recent research indicates that guggulsterones are antagonists of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) 4,5 and the bile acid receptor (BAR), 6 2 nuclear hormone receptors involved in bile acid regulation and cholesterol metabolism. To date, there have been 9 published human clinical trials evaluating the hypolipidemic effect of guggul extracts. 7-15 However, only 5 studies used a standardized guggul extract (guggulipid), 7-11 only 2 of these were randomized, 9,10 and only 1 was placebocontrolled. 10 In the randomized studies, guggulipid reduced levels of total cholesterol by 11%, of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) by 12%, and of triglycerides by 15%. 9,10 Guggulipid received regulatory approval in India in 1987 for use as a lipid-lowering drug, and it is available in the United
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.