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What Are the Benefits of Gugulipid?

The Bible refers to three wise men from the east bringing "gold, frankincense and myrrh" to the infant Jesus. Most western readers of the ancient Christian sacred text probably thought the latter two gifts held only olfactory benefits. However, gugulipid or guggul, the resinous product of the mukal myrrh tree, has long held a place of high esteem in the ancient healing tradition of ayurveda. Modern western medicine has recently begun to rediscover the many health benefits of gugulpid.

  1. Cholesterol Levels

    • The Journal of Associated Physicians-India published a study in 1989 that provided scientific validation to the ayurvedic traditional wisdom that guggul aids in cholesterol problems. In the study, 125 patients who received gugulipid averaged an 11 percent drop in LDL cholesterol levels, a 60 percent increase in HDL (the "good" cholesterol) along with more than a 15 percent decrease in triglyceride levels.

    Fights Obesity

    • The active ingredient in guggul, the plant sterol guggulsterone, may have the ability to flush fats from the body. Health experts speculate that it works by interfering at a cellular level with the binding of fat cells. Gugulipid may also stimulate the thyroid gland, thereby increasing the metabolic rate. Ayurvedic experts suggest that guggul's weight loss benefits have the strongest efficacy when combined with shifting to a more active lifestyle.

    Acne

    • Guggul, along with zinc, brewer's yeast and tea tree oil, numbers among the alternative remedies for acne mentioned on the Mayo Clinic's website. One small clinical trial, mentioned in the Journal of Dermatology, suggests that guggul equals tetracycline in its ability to reduce cystic nodular acne.

    Anti-Inflammatory

    • A 2003 study at the University of South Carolina showed test subjects receiving a form of guggul experienced significant reduction of swelling and pain associated with osteroarthritis. Subjects in the study also had less stiffness and an increased range of motion.

    Cardiovascular Health

    • Gugulipid may prevent the building of up plaque in the arteries. By reducing the tendency of blood platelets to stick to artery walls, guggul decreases the likelihood of heart disease.

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