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Guggul

Guggul is a resin from the mukul myrrh tree, long used in Ayurvedic medicine, and its guggulsterones are thought to influence how the body handles fats. People often look at it for high cholesterol, yet in small studies of 137 people, cholesterol readings got worse: LDL went up and HDL went down. The evidence is limited, so these findings are tentative and need larger studies.

Best evidence
Grade C
Conditions studied
2
Outcomes
6
Graded outcomes
0020

Evidence by condition

  • Strong
  • Moderate
  • Limited
  • Very limited

2 conditions

High Cholesterol

High Cholesterol: outcomes studied for Guggul
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
High-density lipoprotein (HDL)

Small Detriment

Worsens (the measure goes down)Small effect137 people
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)

Small Detriment

Worsens (the measure goes up)Small effect137 people
TriglyceridesImproves (the measure goes down)2 studies137 people

Studies that measured triglycerides

Total cholesterolImproves (the measure goes down)137 people
vLDL-CImproves (the measure goes down)103 people

Osteoarthritis (OA)

Osteoarthritis (OA): outcomes studied for Guggul
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Osteoarthritis SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)1 study30 people

Studies that measured osteoarthritis symptoms

Key findings

  • High-density lipoprotein (HDL)High CholesterolWorsens (the measure goes down)
  • Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)High CholesterolWorsens (the measure goes up)

Studies cited

3 studies from PubMed

  1. Guggulipid for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia: a randomized controlled trialJAMA · PMID 12915429
  2. Resin from the mukul myrrh tree, guggul, can it be used for treating hypercholesterolemia? A randomized, controlled studyComplement Ther Med · PMID 19114224
  3. The effectiveness of Commiphora mukul for osteoarthritis of the knee: an outcomes studyAltern Ther Health Med · PMID 12776478