• Hoodia Gordonii • Caralluma Fimbriata

Caralluma Fimbriata Review

What is Caralluma Fimbriata ?

Caralluma fimbriata is a tender succulent plant that is found in the wilds of Africa, the Canary Islands, Arabia, Southern Europe, Ceylon, India, and Afghanistan and belongs to the family Asclepiadaceae. Other names: Ranshabar, Makad shenguli, Kallimudayan, and Shindala makadi. The Caralluma genus of cactus is included among those listed as edible, because the daily diets of numerous natives of India over many centuries contain this wild, succulent plant. The Caralluma genus includes several species many of which grow in large parts of interior India. Caralluma fimbriata is the most prevalent of the genus, as it grows wild in urban centers, is planted as a roadside shrub, and is commonly used as a boundary-marker in gardens.

The plants of this group have stems from 0, 5 to 1, 5 inches thick and up to 8 inches high. The stems are covered with spines that are actually leaves. The star-shaped flowers of the plant have a very specific and rather unpleasant odor.

Caralluma fimbriata is one of the new arrivals in the family of natural appetite suppressants. It is often compared to Hoodia gordonii from the Kalahari Desert. Caralluma fimbriata has been used for a long time by Indian tribes in order to suppress hunger and enhance endurance during their hunting trips.

History of Use

Caralluma fimbriata has been eaten for many centuries in rural India. The plant is consumed in several forms. It is cooked as a regular vegetable in some regions of India. It may be cooked with spices, used in chutneys and pickles, and sometimes may be eaten raw.

Indian tribesmen have been using Caralluma fimbriata during their hunting trips as a portable food for hunting. It was used to suppress appetite and enhance endurance. Caralluma fimbriata also finds use today as a natural appetite suppressant and “famine food” during times of famine in the semi-arid regions of India.

Several clinical tests carried out in the USA and in India showed the benefits of Caralluma fimbriata as an appetite suppressant. More than 30 overweight individuals were given either a capsule of extract or a placebo. Those, receiving the extract, in comparison to the placebo group, showed some change in weight and reported reduced appetite. Waist circumference and some other body parameters were reduced as well.

How Does Caralluma Fimbriata Work ?

This mysterious Indian plant acts in two different ways. Firstly, it helps our body to burn fat, thereby promoting weight loss. Secondly, it acts as an appetite suppressant making the hunger go away. Further we will try to describe how these mechanisms work.

Caralluma fimbriata contains pregnane glycosides which are believed to block the activity of citrate citrate lyase. By blocking this enzyme Caralluma prevents the formation of fat by the human body. Furthermore, Caralluma fimbriata also blocks the activity of another enzyme called Malonyl Coenzyme A. By doing that, fat formation is further blocked and the body is forced to burn its fat reserves. This results in a faster fat loss of the body.

Caralluma fimbriata acts as an appetite suppressant as well. Clinical trials clearly prove its appetite suppressing qualities.

This is how it works. When we eat, nerves from the stomach send a signal to the part of the brain that controls appetite (Hypothalamus). When a person is full, the hypothalamus tells the brain to stop eating. When a person is hungry, it signals the brain that food is needed.

It is believed that the pregnane glycosides contained in Caralluma fimbriata inhibit the hunger sensory mechanism of the hypothalamus. By interfering with the signal or by creating a signal on its own, Caralluma fimbriata fools the brain into thinking that the stomach is full, even when the person has not eaten.

Clinical Trials on Caralluma Fimbriata

In addition to the long history of safe ingestion of the cactus as a food, further evidence of safety and efficacy of its extract is proved by an acute oral toxicity test on rats and two human clinical studies.

These independent clinical studies on Caralluma fimbriata extract were carried out, one in India and the other one in California, USA.

The first one was performed at Division of Nutrition, St John's National Academy of Health Sciences, India. It was a classical double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial done on 50 human subjects.

The subjects were given either a placebo or a capsule containing Caralluma fimbriata extract during the total period of 60 days. No changes were advised in existing dietary pattern. All subjects were advised to walk for 30 min, morning and evening. No other alterations were made to existing activities.

Statistically significant decreases in body weight, BMI (body to mass index), waist and hip circumferences and some other parameters were observed in the group of individuals receiving the extract. The adverse events were minor and limited to mild upset of the gastrointestinal tract. The subjects on placebo also reported the same gastrointestinal adverse effects. Thus it seems evident that these adverse effects were not caused by Caralluma fimbriata extract, but by the gelatin capsules themselves.

The second study performed in California at the Western Geriatric Research Institute consisted of 26 overweight patients, 19 on active compound and 7 on placebo. Over 60% of those taking the extract lost 6 pounds or more during one month. This study is suggestive of a positive effect of the Caralluma fimbriata extract on weight loss. Importantly, it reaffirmed the safety of the extract, as no serious adverse effects occurred.

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