Guggul or gum guggul is a resinous sap from the bark of mukul myrrh (Commiphora wightii) tree. It is commonly known as gugal or gugul. This tree is distributed throughout India. It is known to people, for its utilization in making dhoop and incense sticks. But for years it has been used in traditional medicine. As per Sushruta Samhita ( Ayurveda), guggul has been used for a wide variety of therapeutic conditions such as obesity, osteoarthritis and sciatica.
Guggul has been over harvested due to its medicinal properties and has been listed Red on the ‘The International Union For Conservation of Nature (IUCN ) -List of threatened species.
Guggul has been over harvested due to its medicinal properties and has been listed Red on the ‘The International Union For Conservation of Nature (IUCN ) -List of threatened species.
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The active constituent of guggul is the ketonic based steroid compound guggulsterones. These compounds have shown to significantly lower serum triglyceride and cholesterol.
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The mode of action has been well studied in University of Texas. It has highlighted the fact that guggul -lipid blocks the activity of Farnesoid X receptor(FXR) .With the inhibition of FXR, bile acid continues to be produced thus getting rid of the excess cholesterol and maintaining it to normal level.
Clinical trials have also supported the fact that guggul improves mood and weight loss in obese people. It has blood thinning properties which prevents the clumping of the blood platelets and reduces the possibility of cardiovascular diseases. In addition guggul acts as anti inflammatory agents and have potent antioxidant actions.
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