Anyone have any first-hand experience with the Indian herb Guggul?

[Riprorin]

I'm thinking about taking it to bring down my LDL cholesterol.

 

[Spoooon]

Check this page out for some info

 

[Riprorin]

I'm inclined to give it a try.

I've tried inositiol hexaniacinate (flush-free niacin) but while it reduced my LDL by about 12% (142 -> 125), it's iritating my liver.

 

[Spoooon]

"More recent, well-designed research reports no improvements in cholesterol levels. In fact, small increases in "bad cholesterol" (low-density lipoprotein) are suggested."

It sounds like it may be a waste of money. Though, I don't know how much it costs.

edit: If you do try it, try not to alter anything else about your diet or routine, so you'll know whether the guggul is making a difference. Though, I'm assuming you'd stop taking the inositiol hexaniacinate. If your cholesterol goes up, you won't know for sure if the guggul is ineffective or just less effective.

 

[Riprorin]

Yup, I'll just substitute it for IHN and get re-tested.

I believe that is has been approved by the Indian government for treatment of high cholesterol.

My only concern is that I am taking garlic too and I don't know how they interact. Maybe there's a synergistic effect. Who knows?

edit: I know what my numbers were before I started taking IHN so I do have a baseline.

 

[Spoooon]

"It is not clear what effects guggulipid has on herbs that lower cholesterol levels, such as garlic (Allium sativum). In theory, guggul may alter the activity of the thyroid gland and should be used carefully with herbs that can affect thyroid function, such as bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus)"
Maybe the garlic won't be that big a deal. Maybe it'd be smart to discontinue the garlic for a while to see if you suffer any adverse effects from the guggul.