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Research news

Indian Herb From Guggal Tree Can Reduce Cholesterol
2 May 2002

Scientists have found that an extract of the guggal tree can help reduce cholesterol. The extract is called guglipid, and has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for roughly 3000 years. These findings are published in the current issue of Science magazine.

Researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, found that the extract blocks the body's Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR). This receptor is important for cholesterol levels because it triggers the conversion of cholesterol to bile acids. When this process occurs too rapidly, the body does not get rid of enough cholesterol, resulting in higher cholesterol levels.

The extract should be used in conjunction with medical supervision because it may interact adversely with existing treatments.

Kanu Patel, a practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine in Leicester, told the BBC, "There has been clinical data from India for years showing that guglipid is effective. Scientists in the US are only starting to look at it now but really we have known this for years." Guglipid received regulatory approval in India in 1987.

Source

BBC health news.end-of-story

 

   
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