Guggul

Scientific Name(s): Commiphora mukul Hook. ex Stocks., Commiphora wightii (Arn.) Bhandari
Common Name(s): Guggal, Guggul, Guggulu, Gugulipid, Gum guggal, Gum guggulu, Indian bdellium, Indian myrrh

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Nov 2, 2021.

Clinical Overview

Use

Guggul has been used in the traditional Ayurvedic medical system for centuries and has been studied extensively in India. Commercial products are promoted for use in hyperlipidemia; however, clinical studies do not substantiate this claim. Anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular effects are being evaluated, as well as use in cancer, obesity, and diabetes.

Dosing

Clinical trials are lacking to provide dosage guidelines; however, in a US clinical trial of hyperlipidemia, 75 to 150 mg of standardized guggulsterones were administered daily. In a study evaluating the anti-inflammatory effect of guggul, 500 mg of gum guggul was taken 3 times per day.

Contraindications

None identified. Caution may be warranted in patients previously experiencing adverse effects to statins.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Information regarding safety and efficacy in pregnancy and lactation is lacking.

Interactions

None well documented.

Adverse Reactions

Although generally accepted as relatively safe, case reports of adverse events exist. Moderate to severe generalized acute eczematous reactions to oral guggul have been reported, and caution may be warranted. A case report exists of rhabdomyolysis possibly caused by guggul consumption.

Toxicology

Research reveals little information regarding toxicology with the use of guggul.

Scientific Family

• Burseraceae

Botany

The guggul plant is widely distributed throughout India and adjacent dry regions. The tree is a small shrub with thorny branches. The gum, called "guggul" or "gum guggulu," is tapped from the stem of the plant, and the fragrant yellow latex solidifies as it oozes out. Excessive production of the gum eventually kills the plant. C. mukul is synonymous with Commiphora wightii and is in the same genus as Commiphora myrrha, the myrrh mentioned in the Bible.1, 2

History

The plant has been used in the traditional Ayurvedic medical system for centuries in the treatment of a variety of disorders, most notably arthritis, and as a weight-reducing agent in obesity. Other traditional uses have included liver dysfunction, tumors, ulcers and sores, urinary complaints, intestinal worms, edema, seizures, and as a cardiac tonic. In 1966, the first medical studies in animals were conducted, and in 1986, guggal was approved for marketing in India as a hypolipidemic drug. A commercial product, Guggulow, claiming cholesterol-lowering properties, is widely available on the internet.2, 3, 4

Chemistry

Guggul is the dry gum resin obtained from incisions in the bark of the Commiphora mukul tree as well as Commiphora molmol, Commiphora abyssinica, and Commiphora burseraceae.69 The gum contains minerals, resin, volatile oils, sterols, ferulates, flavones, sterones, and other chemical constituents.

Several pharmacologically active components have been identified in the plant, including guggulsterone (E- and Z-stereoisomers) and gugulipid, both found in the ethyl acetate extract of the plant. Studies have shown that the guggulsterones are antagonist ligands for the bile acid receptor farnesoid X receptor, which is activated by bile salts, thus reducing cholesterol. A triterpene, myrrhanol A, has been described to have potent anti-in...