Overview of Garcinia Cambogia
Scientific Name: Garcinia gummi-gutta
Order: Malpigiales
Family: Clusiaceae
Garcinia cambogia is also known as garcinia. Do not confuse with gamboge (Garcinia hanburyi), mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), or the compound, hydroxycitric acid / hydroxycitrate / HCA (found in a few plant genera including Hibiscus, Garcinia, etc.). The fruit are used in dietary supplements.
Strong:
insufficient informationGood:
insufficient informationPromising:
insufficient informationConflicting (Unclear):
insufficient informationLimited Evidence:
- Lowers Cholesterol, a blend with Amorphophallus konjac may be more effective [1-2]
No Evidence:
- Weight Loss, garcinia and garcinia blends have been clinically tested, but the results show no evidence for weight loss [3-9]
- Complex herbal blends with garcinia may have promising results, but these blends need to be further investigated
No Clinical Research:
All other conditions.- Diarrhea
- Dizziness
- Dry Mouth
- Gastrointestinal Upset
- Headache
- Nausea
- Rhinitis
- Toothache
- Use caution or contact a licensed healthcare practitioner, since there is not enough research on the use of supplements containing garcinia.
- Monitor your liver while using garcinia, there may have been cases of liver damage and failure.
There is not enough research on the use of supplements containing garcinia during pregnancy and breast-feeding, so consult a licensed healthcare practitioner before use or avoid use. [10-13]
Major:
insufficient informationModerate:
insufficient informationPotential:
- Warfarin
- Anti-Diabetic Drugs
- Montelukast
- Statins
Garcinia is not a "drug", so the best doses have not been thoroughly established. Make sure to follow the specific product instructions and take as directed on the label, or consult a licensed healthcare practitioner before use.
1. Kim JE, Jeon SM, Park KH, Lee WS, Jeong TS, McGregor RA, Choi MS. Does Glycine max leaves or Garcinia cambogia promote weight-loss or lower plasma cholesterol in overweight individuals: a randomized control trial. Nutr J. 2011 Sep 21;10:94. 2. Vasques CA, Rossetto S, Halmenschlager G, Linden R, Heckler E, Fernandez MS, Alonso JL. Evaluation of the pharmacotherapeutic efficacy of Garcinia cambogia plus Amorphophallus konjac for the treatment of obesity. Phytother Res. 2008 Sep;22(9):1135-40. 3. Heymsfield SB, Allison DB, Vasselli JR, Pietrobelli A, Greenfield D, Nunez C. Garcinia cambogia (hydroxycitric acid) as a potential antiobesity agent: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 1998 Nov 11;280(18):1596-600. 4. Kim JE, Jeon SM, Park KH, Lee WS, Jeong TS, McGregor RA, Choi MS. Does Glycine max leaves or Garcinia cambogia promote weight-loss or lower plasma cholesterol in overweight individuals: a randomized control trial. Nutr J. 2011 Sep 21;10:94. 5. Mattes RD, Bormann L. Effects of (-)-hydroxycitric acid on appetitive variables. Physiol Behav. 2000 Oct 1-15;71(1-2):87-94. 6. Min B, McBride BF, Kardas MJ, Ismali A, Sinha V, Kluger J, White CM. Electrocardiographic effects of an Ephedra-Free, multicomponent weight-loss supplement in healthy volunteers. Pharmacotherapy. 2005 May;25(5):654-9. 7. Opala T, Rzymski P, Pischel I, Wilczak M, Wozniak J. Efficacy of 12 weeks supplementation of a botanical extract-based weight loss formula on body weight, body composition and blood chemistry in healthy, overweight subjects--a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Eur J Med Res. 2006 Aug 30;11(8):343-50. 8. Toromanyan E, Aslanyan G, Amroyan E, Gabrielyan E, Panossian A. Efficacy of Slim339 in reducing body weight of overweight and obese human subjects. Phytother Res. 2007 Dec;21(12):1177-81. 9. Vasques CA, Rossetto S, Halmenschlager G, Linden R, Heckler E, Fernandez MS, Alonso JL. Evaluation of the pharmacotherapeutic efficacy of Garcinia cambogia plus Amorphophallus konjac for the treatment of obesity. Phytother Res. 2008 Sep;22(9):1135-40. 10. Actis GC, Bugianesi E, Ottobrelli A, Rizzetto M. Fatal liver failure following food supplements during chronic treatment with montelukast. Dig Liver Dis. 2007 Oct;39(10):953-5. 11. DerMarderosian A, Beutler JA. The review of natural products: the most complete source of natural product information. 7th ed. St. Louis, MO, USA: Wolters Kluwer Health; 2012. 12. Lobb A. Hepatoxicity associated with weight-loss supplements: a case for better post-marketing surveillance. World J Gastroenterol. 2009 Apr 14;15(14):1786-7. 13. Pittler MH, Schmidt K, Ernst E. Adverse events of herbal food supplements for body weight reduction: systematic review. Obes Rev. 2005 May;6(2):93-111. 14. Actis GC, Bugianesi E, Ottobrelli A, Rizzetto M. Fatal liver failure following food supplements during chronic treatment with montelukast. Dig Liver Dis. 2007 Oct;39(10):953-5. 15. DerMarderosian A, Beutler JA. The review of natural products: the most complete source of natural product information. 7th ed. St. Louis, MO, USA: Wolters Kluwer Health; 2012. 16. Afendi FM, Okada T, Yamazaki M, Hirai-Morita A, Nakamura Y, Nakamura K, Ikeda S, Takahashi H, Altaf-Ul-Amin M, Darusman LK, Saito K, Kanaya S. KNApSAcK family databases: integrated metabolite-plant species databases for multifaceted plant research. Plant Cell Physiol. 2012 Feb;53(2):e1.