Mangosteen is a fruit grown in Thailand and Myanmar whose rind (the mangosteen pericarp) appears to have some medicinal properties. The hull of the mangosteen fruit has been used for many years in Southeast Asia as a medicine for skin infection, wounds, and diarrhea, and recently other interesting properties of mangosteen are slowly being revealed. However, as of 2008, human trials are not available regarding mangosteen juice or mangosteen supplement, therefore we don't know the benefit of mangosteen in clinical practice until such studies are completed.

What's in mangosteen fruit?
Mangosteen fruit has a number of compounds, the most prominent being xanthones, a group of compounds that have antioxidant and other potent physiological properties.

Buy Mangosteen pill 500 mg (whole fruit) - ORGANIC, direct from Thailand
Developed by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Made from the highest quality ORGANIC mangosteen fruit material available, direct from Thailand. The actual active ingredients, xanthones, are mostly in the mangosteen rind and seed, and less in the mangosteen fruit flesh. We use the whole mangosteen fruit - rind, seed and flesh - in order to provide you with the full spectrum of xanthones. There are about 20 different xanthones in the whole fruit. Ninety-five percent of this mangosteen product is rind and seed.

Mangosteen Capsule Supplement Facts:
Mangosteen - 500 mg *
   (Garcinia mangostana whole fruit, 95 percent is pericarp or rind)

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Usage: As a dietary supplement, take one mangosteen capsule daily or as recommended by your health care provider.
* Mangosteen supplement daily value not established.

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Substances in mangosteen fruit and rind
Several compounds in mangosteen appear to be active, particularly xanthones. Xanthones are unique chemical compounds found in nature, composed of a tricyclic aromatic system with a variety of phenolic, methoxy, and isoprene substituents. Some of the xanthones in mangosteen include mangostin, mangostenol, mangostenone A, mangostenone B, trapezifolixanthone, tovophyllin B, alpha- and beta-mangostins, garcinone B, mangostinone, and mangostanol.
   Mangosteen pericarp also has oligomeric proanthocyanidins, procyanidins, together with a few prodelphinidin units along with small amounts of stereoisomers of afzelechin, epiafzelechin, catechin, epicatechin, and gallocatechin, epigallocatechin.

Benefit of mangosteen fruit, juice, or supplement
Mangosteen fruit has compounds with antioxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-tumor activity. Mangosteen also appears to have anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory properties. As of 2008, almost all studies with mangosteen have been done in a laboratory and there is little human research to indicate how mangosteen supplements or mangosteen juice would influence the prevention or treatment of various cancers, including breast, lung, and liver, or what other benefits the compounds in mangosteen, such as xanthones, would have when ingested as a supplement. If you come across claims that mangosteen has been proven to treat cancer or to have various health benefit in humans, be skeptical. Some of these claims may eventually turn out to be true, but until actual long term human trials are done, we cannot be certain about the full mangosteen benefits or side effects.
   An herbal mouthwash containing the pericarp extract of mangosteen may be used as an adjunct in treating bad breath.

Mangosteen fruit and acne vulgaris
Until human research is done, the is the only information we have on the role of mangosteen in acne inflammation.

Effect of Garcinia mangostana on inflammation caused by Propionibacterium acnes.
Fitoterapia. 2007 Sep;78(6):401-8. Epub 2007 Jun 2. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, Rachathevi, Bangkok, Thailand.
The present study was aimed to investigate the activity of Thai medicinal plants on inflammation caused by Propionibacterium acnes in terms of free radical scavenging and cytokine reducing properties. P. acnes have been recognized as pus-forming bacteria triggering an inflammation in acne. Mangosteen extracts reduced the TNF-alpha production. Mangosteen was highly effective in scavenging free radicals and was able to suppress the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This study has identified the promising source of anti-inflammatory agent which could be useful in treatment of acne vulgaris.

Mangosteen has anti-inflammatory activity
Anti-inflammatory activity of mangostins from Garcinia mangostana mangosteen fruit.
Food Chem Toxicol. 2007 Sep 26; Graduate Institute of Biomedical and Biopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Life Sciences, National Chiayi University, 300 University Road, Chiayi 600, Taiwan, ROC.
The mangosteen fruit hull is used as an anti-inflammatory drug in Southeast Asia. Two xanthones, alpha- and gamma-mangostins, were isolated from the fruit hull of mangosteen, and both significantly inhibited nitric oxide (NO) and PGE(2) production from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Alpha- and gamma-mangostins from mangosteen fruit are bioactive substances with anti-inflammatory effects.

Mangosteen and cancer
Laboratory testing thus far indicates that extracts of mangosteen fruit and rind have activity against several cancer cell lines including breast, liver, and leukemia.

Mangosteen extract and heart
Cardioprotective effect of alpha-mangostin, a xanthone derivative from mangosteen on tissue defense system against isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction in rats.
J Biochem Mol Toxicol. 2007;21(6):336-9. Centre for Advanced Studies in Botany, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai, India.
Increased oxidative stress and antioxidant deficit have been suggested to play a major role in isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of alpha-mangostin on the antioxidant defense system and lipid peroxidation against isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction in rats. Our findings indicate the protective effect of mangosteen extract alpha-mangostin on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant tissue defense system during isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction in rats.

Benefit of mangosteen fruit versus the mangosteen rind
Most of the studies with mangosteen have focused on the pericarp, or the dark, woody rind as opposed to the fruit inside the woody rind. The pericarp contains most of the active xanthone compounds. The fruit itself probably has some beneficial compounds but the compounds within the mangosteen fruit have not been studied as well as the mangosteen rind. Mangosteen is being looked into as a possible plant for the treatment of acne vulgaris.

Mangosteen fruit, juice, and supplement recommendations
Until human trials are done, it is difficult to make any recommendations regarding the health benefit of mangosteen. Does mangosteen work well when taken as a supplement? What is the ideal mangosteen dosage? How often should mangosteen capsules be taken and for how long? Does mangosteen have side effects when taken for several months or years? These are questions that still need to be answered through rigorous mangosteen research.  However, some of the in vitro studies regarding mangosteen and its anti-cancer potential are intriguing and certainly worthwhile to further explore. Several compounds found in mangosteen fruit may have potential health benefits in humans. However, until actual research human studies are done, it is difficult to know for certain what role mangosteen juice or mangosteen supplements play in health and disease.

Mangosteen side effects
We have taken four mangosteen capsules daily for one week and did not experience any mangosteen side effects. Side effects from long term use of mangosteen pills for several months or years is not known as of 2008.

Mangosteen antioxidants
Antioxidant xanthones from the pericarp of Garcinia mangostana ( Mangosteen rind ).
J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Mar 22;54(6):2077-82. Jung HA, Su BN, Keller WJ, Mehta RG, Kinghorn AD.
Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Garcinia mangostana L. (commonly known as mangosteen fruit) was selected for detailed study. Repeated chromatography of a CH2Cl2-soluble extract of the pericarp led to the isolation of two new highly oxygenated prenylated xanthones, 8-hydroxycudraxanthone G and mangostingone together with 12 known xanthones, cudraxanthone G, 8-deoxygartanin, garcimangosone B, garcinone D, garcinone E, gartanin (8), 1-isomangostin, alpha-mangostin, gamma-mangostin, mangostinone, smeathxanthone A, and tovophyllin A.

Mangosteen supplement for dogs
Q. Please advise what the proper mangosteen dosage would be for a 12 yr old Golden Retriever. Our dog was put on Deramaxx by the Veterinarian, but is having side effects I do not like Deramaxx and I will discontinue those pills. Our dog exhibited signs of osteoarthritis, having difficulty getting up and down and climbing stairs, and was stiff and seemed to be in pain.
   A. We have not seen any studies with the use of mangosteen for dogs or other animals in terms of arthritis treatment. Mangosteen is a safe herb and one or two capsules appear not to give side effects in humans, but we can't predict what mangosteen would do in a dog when used for prolonged periods.

Mangosteen supplement questions
Q. Are there any problems taking a mangosteen pill along with an acai berry pill?
   A. Probably not if you take one pill of each. But first, familiarize yourself on how a mangosteen pill makes you feel and how an acai pill makes you feel before combining. Mangosteen and acai supplements are mild herb that don't stimulate the body too much and appear to be safe. Take a few days off each month.

Q. Will a mangosteen supplement increase my platelet count. I am at 30,000.
   A. A low platelet count can be due to many causes. Human research with mangosteen is lacking, therefore it is difficult to say what influence mangosteen has on platelets.

Q. I'm looking at your website about mangosteen capsules. I'm looking for the capsules that are dark reddish brown, and the powder is sweet. I do not want anything else. I took this for two years, and it did me a wonder of good. Then the people changed to a different type that is tan and tastes like cardboard. It did me no good. It needs to be the dark like the rind and the nut. Not the white like the fruit itself, or combination of both.
   A. The Physician Formulas mangosteen capsules are dark reddish brown. What benefit did the mangosteen capsules provide you?
      Q. I'm happy to tell you what the mangosteen benefits have been. Two years ago, I was so weak, that I could hardly get out of bed. I have peripheral neuropathy, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, as well as a non-reparable ruptured spine. After taking mangosteen supplement for a month, I was out doing things in the kitchen for about 10 or 15 minutes at a time. Due to the pain in my feet and back, I can not stand very long, but I had a new energy that helped me get up and around. Mangosteen gave me so much more energy, that after a month, even my husband noticed and said this new stuff must be helping you. The doctors could find no medications to help me feel better, and I can only take narcotic pain pills to keep the pain down. I think the dark reddish brown capsules are wonderful. was sweet. I thought it would make a good tea, but I've been reading that it is non-soluble, so that would not work. I would not buy the mangosteen juice. It is diluted with pear and apple juice, and costs much too much money for me. Thanks for your response. I'm happy to hear your capsules are the reddish brown.

Additional links of interest
Multivitamin information
Ray Sahelian, M.D. natural healing web site with a discussion of mangosteen testimonials, research and health benefits.

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