Heart Health from an Age-Old Herb

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Guggul–New Benefits for Heart Health from an Age-Old Herb

JoAnn Guest

Aug 26, 2006 20:32 PDT

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by Richard Conant, L.Ac., C.N.

 

The 1990's have seen a growing interest in herbs from India's

ancient Ayurvedic tradition. One Ayurvedic herb in particular, " gum

guggul, " stands at the forefront, thanks to its rather remarkable

benefits for the heart and cardiovascular health.

 

A relative of myrrh and frankincense, gum guggul is a resin tapped

from India's Commiphora mukul tree. Known more commonly in the Far

East as simply " guggul, " the herb has proven to be one of the most

effective natural cholesterol-lowering agents ever discovered.

 

Cholesterol reductions with guggul can be twenty

percent or higher, and the herb also raises HDL, the more beneficial

form of cholesterol.

Studies also show guggul may help prevent

atherosclerosis, by retarding the formation of fatty, cholesterol-

laden deposits in blood vessel tissues.

 

Recent research on guggul has revealed that guggul also blocks the

oxidation of LDL cholesterol, by acting as an antioxidant.

LDL, which carries cholesterol from the liver to the rest of the

body, is generally regarded as a key element in the development of

atherosclerosis.

But only when it is oxidized by free radicals does LDL accumulate

in arteries. It its unoxidized or " native " state, LDL is more or

less benign. Checking LDL oxidation is vital to keeping blood

vessels free of plaque.1 (This is one of the major reasons why

antioxidants are so important.) Guggul, by both lowering blood

cholesterol and acting

against LDL oxidation, now stands out as one of the world's most

valuable herbs for heart health.

 

Guggul first caught the attention of the scientific world in1966,

thanks

to an Indian medical researcher who submitted a doctoral thesis on

gum

guggul.2 Her interest had been kindled by references to the herb in

a

centuries-old Ayurvedic text. Apparently, poor cardiovascular health

and

atherosclerosis were a problem back then just as they are today.

Translated from Sanskrit, this text describes, in elegant detail, a

condition called " coating and obstruction of channels. " The cause,

according to the ancient writers? Faulty metabolism due to

overeating of

fatty foods and lack of exercise. Death was said to be the end

result of

leaving this condition uncorrected. The recommended treatment plan

emphasized diet and herbs, chiefly gum guggul.3

 

References to guggul in ancient literature actually go back even

farther. The herb is mentioned in the Vedas, the holy scriptures of

India believed to be anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 years old. One

stanza

is translated as follows: " Disease (consumption) does not afflict

and

the curse never affects whom the delicious odor of the healing

Guggul

penetrates (spreads). The diseases also flee away in all directions

from

him like horses and deer, O Gugulu! Either born from Sindhu or from

the

sea. I chant your name for the removal of diseases. " 3

 

Struck by the obvious similarity between " coating and obstruction of

channels " and atherosclerosis, the Indian researcher decided to

study

gum guggul's effect on blood fats in rabbits. Over a two-year

period,

the animals were fed hydrogenated vegetable oil to artificially

raise

their cholesterol levels. Guggul was administered to one group of

rabbits, while the rest served as controls. At the end of the study

the

rabbits given guggul had normal cholesterol and blood lipid levels.

Their arteries showed no fatty streaks or plague deposits. This

caught

the attention of the Indian scientific community, and numerous

clinical

trials ensued, both on animals and humans. In study after study,

guggul

consistently produced substantial reductions in cholesterol and

triglyceride levels, while raising HDL.

 

The active ingredients in guggul are a group of natural plant

sterols.

Among these, substances called " guggulsterones " are the most

important

ingredients for the cholesterol and blood fat lowering properties of

guggul, with the other sterols acting as a synergistic supporting

cast.4

A number of mechanisms are suggested, although not definitely

proven,

for how the herb works; these include reducing the synthesis of

cholesterol in the liver, enhancing cholesterol removal from the

gut,

stimulating thyroid function and increasing the number of receptors

in

the liver for uptake of LDL.3,5

 

Guggul extracts are now standardized for guggulsterone content. The

herb

naturally contains about 2 percent guggulsterones. Quality extracts

contain a minimum of 2.5 percent, which assures the user is getting

a

product potent enough to produce results. Since the late 1980's

clinical

trials have used the standardized extract.6,7,8 The product is

readily

available in the U.S.

 

The ability of guggulsterones to prevent oxidation of LDL was

discovered

in a 1997 study done by scientists at the Central Drug Research

Institute in Lucknow, India.9 This study sheds light on how guggul

works

against " coating and obstruction of channels. " Remember that

oxidized

LDL forms the plaque that coats and eventually obstructs blood

vessels.

The researchers mixed LDL from human blood with a free radical

promoting

agent, either alone or in combination with guggulsterones. Samples

were

then analyzed for the presence LDL oxidation byproducts. The results

showed that guggulsterones strongly protect LDL from being oxidized.

Guggulsterones block the formation of hydroxyl radicals, a potent

type

of free-radical that attacks cell membranes.

 

Guggulsterones may also help keep the heart muscle itself healthy.

When

the heart muscle is deprived of oxygen, a condition known

as " myocardial

ischemia, " it can be severely damaged by free radicals. The body

tries

to counter this with SOD, a key enzyme present in cells that

neutralizes

free radicals. SOD levels are significantly reduced in damaged heart

tissues. Guggulsterones have been found to reverse this decrease by

more

than two-fold.10

 

Like the writer of that age-old verse found in the Vedas,

contemporary

herbalists hold gum guggul in the highest regard. Backed as it is by

scientific research linked to centuries of traditional use, gum

guggul

has a bright future as a natural resource for maintaining normal

cholesterol and blood fats, and for protecting heart health.

 

References

 

1. Heinecke, J.W. Free radical modification of low density

lipoprotein:

mechanisms and biological consequences. Free Radical Biology &

Medicine

1987;3:65-73.

 

2. Satyavati, G.V. Effect of an indigenous drug on disorders of

lipid

metabolism with special reference to atherosclerosis and obesity

(Medoroga) M.D. thesis (Doctor of Ayurvedic Medicine). Banaras Hindu

University, varanasi, 1966.

 

3. Satyavati, G. Gugulipid: a promising hypolipidaemic agent from

gum

guggul (Commiphora wightii). Economic and Medicinal Plant Research

1991;5:47-82.

 

4. Dev, S. A modern look at an age-old Ayurvedic drug-guggulu.

Science

Age July 1987:13-18.

 

5. Singh, V. et. al. Stimulation of low density lipoprotein receptor

activity in liver membrane of guggulsterone treated rats.

Pharmacological Research 1990;22(1):37-44.

 

6. Nityanand, S., Srivastava, J.S., Asthana, O.P. Clinical trials

with

gugulipid. J. Ass. Physicians of India 1989;37(5):323-28.

 

7. Agarwal, R.C. et. al. Clinical trial of gugulipid-a new

hypolipidemic

agent of plant origin in primary hyperlipidemia. Indian J Med Res

1986;84:626-34.

 

8. 'Gugulipid' Drugs of the Future 1988;13(7):618-619.

 

9. Singh, K., Chandler, R. Kapoor, N.K. Guggulsterone, a potent

hypolipidaemic, prevents oxidation of low density lipoprotein.

Phytotherapy Research 1997;11:291-94.

 

10. Kaul, S. Kapoor, N.K. Reversal of chnages of lipid peroxide,

xanthine oxidase and superoxide dismutase by cardio-protective drugs

in

isoproterenol induced myocardial necrosis in rats. Indian Journal of

Experimental Biology 1989;27:625-627.

 

 

 

This article reprinted through the courtesy of Doctor's Best

nutritional products.

 

Visit the Doctor's Best web site at www.drbvitamins.com

 

http://www.willner.com/article.aspx?artid=174

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets