Guggul is gum resin that can be used to lower cholesterol and boost
your liver function, though it has been used for thousands of years in
India to treat a number of diseases and conditions. However, its mode
of action is completely different to that of most other cholesterol
lowering agents.
The active ingredient is known as guggulsterone, which is a plant
sterol that increases the amount of body cholesterol into bile acids
by the liver. Bile acids are an essential part of our digestion
system, working to emulsify the oils and fats we eat and covert them
into a form suitable for transferring to the blood and use elsewhere
in the body. They also help the body make use of fat soluble vitamins
such as vitamins A and E.
The resin used in this Ayurvedic remedy comes from the stem of a tree
called Mukul myrrh that grows throughout India. Ayurvedic medicine is
said to have originated from ancient Hindu texts, but is now thought
to have evolved over thousands of years. The basis of the medicine is
contained in two Sanskrit texts written on palm leaves and form the
basis of modern Ayurvedic training. Guggul has been used for millennia
in the treatment of skin conditions, rheumatism, arthritis, cardio-
vascular problems and high cholesterol.
Being an oily fat, cholesterol is not soluble in blood plasma and
hence cannot be carried around the body without a carrier. These
carriers are known as low density lipoproteins and high density
lipoproteins.
The LDL carries cholesterol to where it is needed by the body, and is
a sticky substance that can also deposit cholesterol in the arteries
that are carrying it. This can form a hard coating on the inside of
the arteries called plaque, and effectively narrow them and harden
them up.
This atherosclerosis, as it is called, is a dangerous condition, and
if a blood clot encounters the narrow part of an artery so affected it
can be blocked. If in the heart, then this can cause a heart attack,
and if in the brain it can give rise to a stroke, both potentially
fatal conditions.
HDL, on the other hand, carries excess cholesterol back to the liver
for destruction or conversion to bile, and is a free flowing liquid
material known as 'good cholesterol'. Cholesterol is needed by the
body and so cannot be eliminated completely. That would be even more
dangerous. One of the major functions of cholesterol in the liver is
in the production of bile that is used by your digestive process to
emulsify fats. Any compound that could also carry out this vital
function would mean that liver would have less cholesterol to manufacture.
Your body receives a dietary supply of cholesterol from fatty animal
sources such as meat, fats, eggs and dairy products such as cheese and
butter. There is no cholesterol in purely vegetable foods. However,
that does not mean that vegans have no cholesterol, since as stated
earlier, it is an essential substance in the body's metabolism. In
fact, the liver is able to generate all the cholesterol you need, and
that which is taken in your diet is superfluous.
The liver can manufacture cholesterol from the trans and saturated
fats in your diet, and there are several sources of these. Included
among them are popcorn, vegetable shortening such as found in cookies
and donuts and other manufactured bakery products made from
hydrogenated margarines and oils widely used in the bakery industry.
Also from rapeseed and palm oils and coconuts. Saturated fats are also
contained in French fries and similar fried foods using certain
vegetable oils, and also potato chips. Even vegetarians and vegans can
suffer from high cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol is manufactured in the liver and taken up by LDL for
distribution by the blood. However, a large proportion of that
cholesterol is used by the liver to manufacture bile, essential for
digestion of fats. This bile is stored in the gall bladder, and
released into the upper intestine on the ingestion of fatty food. The
bile acids and fats pass down the intestine, where the fats are
emulsified into a form suitable for absorption by the body.
The bile acids are then absorbed in the final part of the ileum by
proteins that carry them back to the liver where they are recirculated
into the bile. Once the level of bile acids in the body reaches a
certain level, a chemical known as the Farnesoid X Receptor
(FXR) stops the liver from converting cholesterol into bile. Although
only 5% of the bile is excreted from the body and needs replaced, this
still accounts for 50% of the body's usage of cholesterol.
The production of bile from cholesterol operates on a closed loop
system, with a feedback that maintains a constant level of bile
acids. The feedback is controlled by FXR that detects the current
level of bile acids and represses the enzyme (CYP7A1) that stimulates
bile manufacture until a minimum level has been reached when the
CYP7A1 is re-activated.
By blocking the action of FXR, the guggulsterone in guggul continues
the conversion of cholesterol to bile acids by the liver without
interruption. The liver has to use more LDL cholesterol for this and
so reduces the overall amount of cholesterol in the body, specifically
the LDL type.
A double blind study in India showed a total cholesterol reduction of
11.7%, including a 12.7% reduction in LDL and a 12% reduction in blood
fat (triglyceride) levels, and other studies have indicated a total
cholesterol reduction of up to 27% and triglycerides of up to 30%. The
Indians believe guggul to be so effective that is has been approved as
a treatment for high cholesterol by the Indian government. The
connection with FXR has been confirmed by testing with mice with and
without FXR.
Another factor in high cholesterol levels is that an under-active
thyroid can interfere with the liver's ability to process cholesterol.
Guggul stimulates then production of thyroid hormones, and so can help
to reduce excessive LDL cholesterol in the blood cause through a low
level of thyroid hormone production.
Overall, then, this Ayurvedic remedy for many ills can help anyone who
needs to reduce the level of cholesterol and triglycerides in their
blood. Recommended dosages are about 1500 mg twice daily, though if
you are also taking statins or are under treatment for cancer you
should first consult your doctor, as you should with all natural
remedies that are new to you.
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