A Review on effectiveness of Guggulu in treatment of obesity

Abstract

Obesity is not because it runs in the family; it is because the lifestyle and concept responsible for the people turn obese. Sthaulya has been included by Acharya Charak among Ashtauninditiya Purusha. Obesity has become epidemic today and it is essential to understand the consequences of obesity. In a world where food supplies are intermittent, fat cells, residing within widely distributed adipose tissue depots, are adapted to store excess energy efficiently as triglyceride and, when needed, release stored energy as free fatty acids for use at other sites. This physiologic system, orchestrated through endocrine and neural pathways, permits humans to survive starvation for as long as several months. Recent study reveals that obesity and its related disorders occupying major share in the spectrum of health, disease and management. It is one of the disorders of non-communicable disease, which has laid down foundation stone of diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, hypertension and others.The aetio-pathogenesis, management and consequences of obesity are not very clear and it is still evolving in biomedical sciences. As a disease entity it is a multi-factorial metabolic disorders, very near to Medoroga/Sthaulya of Ayurveda.The prevalence of obesity is higher in urban areas than in rural populations of India, due to a steady erosion of the holistic way of life in the cities as well as the sedentary and overeating habit. The spiritual, psychological, and physical levels of human health and disease is given due importance in Ayurveda. The current understanding of adipose tissue as an endocrine organ coupled with the core principles drawn from Ayurveda may form a scientific basis for the management of obesity. Guggulu is one of the oldest Ayurvedic herbs taken orally for a variety of diseases. The term “Guggul” in Sanskrit means “protects against diseases. In course of the management of obesity Guggulu is a popular herbal drug which has been used as single form or compound form to treat several ailments since a long time in India. The oleo-gum or the resin of Gugguluobtained from stem is the main part, which has been used for therapeutic uses.