Guggul

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iCommiphora wightii

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Burseraceae
Genus:	Commiphora
Species:	C. wightii

Binomial name

Commiphora wightii
Arn., 1964

Synonyms

Commiphora mukul

Commiphora wightii (Guggul or Mukul myrrh tree) is a flowering plant in the family Burseraceae. The guggul plant may be found from northern Africa to central Asia, but is most common in northern India. It prefers arid and semi-arid climates and is tolerant of poor soil.

It is a shrub or small tree, reaching a maximum height of 4 m, with thin papery bark. The branches are thorny. The leaves are simple or trifoliate, the leaflets ovate, 1-5 cm long, 0.5-2.5 cm broad, irregularly toothed. It is gynodioecious, with some plants bearing bisexual and male flowers, and others with female flowers. The individual flowers are red to pink, with four small petals.

1 Cultivation and uses
- 1.1 Dietary supplement
2 External links
3 Bibliography

[edit] Cultivation and uses

Guggul is sought for its gummy resin, which is harvested from the plant's bark through the process of tapping. In India and Pakistan, guggul is cultivated commercially. The resin of the guggul plant, known as gum guggulu, has a fragrance similar to myrrh and is commonly used in incense and perfumes. It is the same product that was known in Hebrew, ancient Greek and Latin sources as bdellium.

[edit] Dietary supplement

Guggul gum has been employed as a traditional remedy in the practice of Ayurvedic medicine. Purported benefits of guggul gum included relief from epilepsy, ulcers, obesity, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Guggulsterone, a compound found in guggul gum, is believed to exert influence on the production of cholesterol in humans. Recently, nutritional supplements containing extracts of guggul gum have become popular in many Western countries.

This popularity was spurred by the publication of small scientific studies in which regular guggulsterone supplementation appeared to lower cholesterol levels in test subjects with hyperlipidemia.^{[citation needed]} However, a larger study conducted later failed to replicate the positive results reached in the initial studies.^{[citation needed]}

Other largely unverified claims for supplements containing guggulsterone include weight loss benefits and alleviation of acne.