Gugulipid

An ancient herb, guglipid is derived from the resin resembling a gum from the mukul myrrh tree. It dates back to thousands of years ago and has been used in India's traditional Ayuverda medicine.

The Mukul Tree

The mukul tree, or Commiphora mukul, the plant from which gugulipid is extracted, is a small, thorny plant that grows throughout northern India. It produces a gum-like resin called guggul. Sometimes, guggul is also referred to as guggul gum, guggal, gugglesterone, guggulu, and gum gugal.

The gugulipid tree is closely related to the Commiphora mukul tree or common myrrh, which was used as one of the first medicines. There were even hieroglyphic notations of its use during the ancient Eqyptian times. With such a close relation, many scientists believe that gugulipid may have many of the same properties as myrrh as even their ancient status is similar.

Health Benefits

In the 1960s, researchers in India discovered an ancient Sanskrit medical text, Sushruta Samhita. This classical book of medicine described the prescription of gugulipid for the treatment of medoroga, a disease that closely resembles symptoms of high cholesterol and hardening of the arteries. To test this ancient theory, Indian scientists used gugulipid on animals. They later found that gugulipid both lowered cholesterol levels and protected against the development of hardening of the arteries.

A culminating study was subsequently conducted, examining the effectiveness of gugulipid on humans. Although of its potency are still quite preliminary, the Indian government was impressed enough to approve it as a treatment for high cholesterol.

In the Sushruta Samhita, gugulipid was also suggested for fat loss and the relief of arthritis. Some recent studies have noted benefits for these conditions, as well as acne and several other conditions. In the ancient times, the people used gugulipid in a crude, powdered form. Today, gugulipid is available as a supplement in a more refined form.

Additionally, guglipid was used as early as 600 B.C. as treatment for people who suffer from a condition associated with regular overindulgence in rich foods and sedate lifestyle – a condition we now call as atherosclerosis. Present scientists have researched the benefits of gugulipid on atherosclerosis and they were able to find that the refined resin of the mukul tree inhibits formation of plaque that hardens arteries. Furthermore, active ingredients in gugulipid called guggulsterones can encourage levels of fat in the body to drop. This in turn lowers the risk of heart disease.

Buying Information

Before you go out and buy yourself a gugulipid supplement, be sure to consult your doctor first. If you have liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or diarrhea, there's a good chance that your doctor may advice you against taking the supplement. Pregnant women should also not take it.

During product selection, look for one that is clearly marked as a gugulipid supplement and not guggul or guggulu. The latter products are crude, unrefined forms of the resin and may contain toxic compounds, which in turn may cause loss of appetite, stomach pain, diarrhea, and rashes. Gugulipid on the other hand has been refined and contains only the active ingredients without the toxins.