US take note of Ayurvedic remedy to lower cholesterol.

Jayaram Ramesh

The resin of the Guggulu tree has been used in Indian traditional medicines for more than 2,500 years, and more recently has been enlisted to fight high cholesterol. David Moore of the Baylor College of medicine in Houston found that the Guggulu extract lives up to its reputation. It really does lower cholesterol in a number of clinical studies in the Indian literature, Moore said.Writing in the journal science he said it has been used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine since at least 600BC to treat obesity and other disorder.Moore`s team found the steroid guggulsterone, the active agent in the Guggulu extract blocks the activity of the Foresaid X receptor (FXR) on cells. FXR helps regulate cholesterol by affecting levels of bile acids, which are produced from cholesterol and released by the liver.