Author: Dr. Vikram Chauhan

Abstract

Garcinia Cambogia is one of the key ingredients used in most naturopathic supplements for weight loss today. Though originally it is an herbaceous plant and its fruit part is basically used for weight loss, but it has been very commonly used nowadays for its properties that aid in rapid and natural weight loss.The main reason behind the much claimed miraculous effects of Garcinia Cambogia fruit is HCA (Hydrxy citric acid). HCA is the major fruit extract that is responsible for making people thinner with its use.

But as we all know, there are side effects and disadvantages of all good things in the world, here we will throw light upon 7 merits and demerits of Garcinia Cambogia fruit in detail.

Merits of Garcinia Cambogia

Garcinia Cambogia fruit is a very good and natural appetite suppressant which is not a new found plant at all. People in South – East Asia, especially Malaysia have been using this fruit as part of many of their Malaysian delicacies for years.

It helps in rapid shrinkage of fat cells in the body and also prevents the formation of new ones. In turn, Garcinia Cambogua fruit or products containing its standardized and authentic extracts can help people shed bulk weight at a very good pace.

In addition to its weight loss potential, Garcinia hasmany other health benefits also. It is a great detox plant which helps improve Liver function. It helps reduce free radicals in the body which have a very harmful impact at cellular level. Free radicals actually oxidize our body cells to neutralize their negative charge and in turn disturb the chemical composition of our cell’s internal as well as external environment. Consuming fruits like Garcinia and other similar antioxidants can help us in protecting our body right up to the cellular level preventing the development of any harmful diseases.

For patients with ulcers and other gastric problems, Garcinia is a very good natural substitute. Although there are a plethora of other natural supplements for this problem but since, obesity has been frequently found to be linked with disrupted gut functions and digestive problems, Garcinia is one in many solutions for such people.

Garcinia Cambogia fruit has a very delicious flavour which makes it an exception. It has a very sweet taste which can ideally not be correlated with weight loss. That is why Garcinia is something that will satisfy the taste buds as well as keep your weight loss program ticking as well.

The best part of using Garcinia is that there are no rebound weight gain problems. This is in part because of the fact that the weight loss process is more lifestyle based than just taking Garcinia as a supplement. This means that after a while people not only lose weight but also develop healthy lifestyle changes that can help them maintain their weight for a longer period of time.

Garcinia is not a rich man’s medicine; its prices are quite affordable and it is not an exotic plant to be looked out for. It’s easy availability especially in India, Africa and South – East Asia makes it a fair deal to invest in.

Demerits of Garcinia Cambogia

The down side of using Garcinia are not so frivolous but still exist. The biggest problem is commercialization. People are using its name for making odd ends meet and in turn the effectiveness of the products containing Garcinia is increasingly becoming questionable. This is why common people have a hard time in looking for the best Garcinia product which can actually help them.

Another problem is lifestyle. It is important to know that Garcinia is an herbal supplement and not a replacement for a good diet plan and lifestyle modifications. People think that if they are taking weight loss medications, then it will work wonders for them without them having to sweat at all on their part. Nothing beats a good diet plan and a healthy lifestyle, not even Garcinia.

In spite of so much research and documentation conducted over this plant, there is a large stratum of scientists who absolutely discard Garcinia’s potential and therefore, discourage its use. The truth is there is still a lot more to be found than writing off this herbal supplement which has great potential to help mankind in more ways than one.

Another very common problem with the usage of good Garcinia supplements comes when the person is doing just about everything right for losing weight and still does not get the desired results. This is in part because of the fact that there may be some underlying condition like hormonal imbalance or some other deep seated problem which may not be preventing Garcinia from working appropriately on the body. A thorough investigation of the person’s clinical condition is advised in such cases.

Adulteration of Garcinia supplements with chemicals that can potentially cause a lot more harm than benefit has also brought a lot of bad name to this amazing fruit. Its safety especially for women’s health is still under scanner, which is why Garcinia is not considered a 100% safe product. But, still there are plenty of good brands having high quality Garcinia extract which are neither that harmful nor produce any major side effects.

All said and done, there are many test and trials conducted in which Garcinia seemed to show absolutely no impact  on a person’s weight loss with its use. This makes many to believe that Garcinia is falsely propagated for selling supplements and in reality does not really hold any potential for our benefit.

Last but not the least, Garcinia Cambogia fruit does have some side effects which occur only in case of its abusive use, without proper consultation from a naturopath or Ayurvedic practitioner.

Garcinia, if consumed in large doses can lead to diarrhoea and abdominal cramps adversely affecting the person’s health. In such a case, its use should be discontinued for sometime unless one is fit to take it all over again. The same applies to anyone who may rarely develop an allergy to Garcinia Cambogia fruit. In such cases, though, if allergic reaction occurs, Garcinia should never be used, instead other healthy alternatives can be exhausted.