Garcinia gummi-gutta is a
tropicalspecies of Garcinia native to
South Asia and
Southeast Asia.[2][3] Common names include Garcinia cambogia (a former scientific name), as well as brindle berry, and Malabar tamarind.[4] The
fruit looks like a small
pumpkin and is green to pale yellow in color.[5]
Although it has received considerable media attention purporting its effects on
weight loss, there are reports of
liver toxicity associated with the Hydroxycut commercial preparation containing the fruit extract, with clinical evidence indicating it has no significant effect on weight loss.[4][5][6]
Cultivation
Garcinia gummi-gutta is grown for its fruit in
Southeast Asia and
South Asia. Garcinia gummi-gutta is one of several closely related Garcinia species from the plant family
Clusiaceae.[2][3] With thin skin and deep vertical lobes, the fruit of G. gummi-gutta and related species range from about the size of an orange to that of a grapefruit; G. gummi-gutta looks more like a small yellowish, greenish, or sometimes reddish pumpkin.[7] The color can vary considerably. When the rinds are dried and cured in preparation for storage and extraction, they are dark brown or black in color.[citation needed]
In the
Malabar Coast, it is known as kudam puli and in Tamil speaking areas of
Sri Lanka and India, it is called goraka.[10][11]
Weight loss claims
In late 2012, a United States
celebrity doctor,
Dr. Oz, promoted Garcinia cambogia extract as "an exciting breakthrough in natural weight loss".[12][13] Dr. Oz's endorsements of
dietary supplements having no or little scientific evidence of efficacy have often led to a substantial increase in consumer purchases of the promoted products.[13]
While it has received considerable media attention purporting impact on
weight loss, the evidence for Garcinia cambogia supports no clear effect,[4][5][14][15] while gastrointestinal adverse events were two-fold more common over the
placebo in a 2011
meta-analysis, indicating the extract may be unsafe for human consumption.[5][6] Adverse events associated with use of such supplements ("
side effects") — especially,
liver toxicity, as well as
gastrointestinal issues — led to one preparation being withdrawn from the market.[16]
Garcinia gummi-gutta is used in cooking, including in the preparation of curries to add a sour flavor.[5] The fruit rind and extracts of Garcinia species are used in many traditional recipes used in food preparation in Southeast Asian countries.[4][18] In the Indian
Ayurvedic medicine, "sour" flavors are said to activate digestion. The extract and rind of G. gummi-gutta is a
curry condiment in India.[18][19][20] It is an essential souring ingredient in the southern Thai variant of kaeng som, a sour curry.[21][22]
^
abcd"Garcinia cambogia". National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, US National Institutes of Health. 1 December 202. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
^"Fruit yellowish or reddish, size of an orange having six or eight deep longitudinal grooves in its fleshy pericarp. Pulp acid of a pleasant flavor. It is dried among the Singalese who use it in curries."
Uphof, J.C. Th. (1968).
^Yamada T, Hida H, Yamada Y (2007). "Chemistry, physiological properties, and microbial production of hydroxycitric acid". Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 75 (5): 977–82.
doi:
10.1007/s00253-007-0962-4.
PMID17476502.
S2CID25194835.
^Soni, MG (2004). "Safety assessment of (-)-hydroxycitric acid and Super CitriMax, a novel calcium/potassium salt". Food Chem Toxicol. 42 (9): 1513–29.
doi:
10.1016/j.fct.2004.04.014.
PMID15234082.
^
ab"The acid rinds of the ripe fruit are eaten,." Drury, Heber (1873).
"Garcinia gambogia (Desrous) N. 0. Clusiaceae". The Useful Plants of India, second edition. London: William H. Allen & Co. p. 220.