Hydroxycitrate (HCA) is an active ingredient that is extracted from the rind of the Indian fruit, Garcinia cambogia, which is available as an herbal supplement and promoted as a weight loss agent. Chronic administration of Hydroxycitric promotes lipid oxidation and spares carbohydrate utilization in mice at rest and during running. Garcinia cambogia extract, by itself, is unlikely to lead to weight loss, but in combination with other nutrients and herbs it may have potential. Garcinia is sometimes used in combination with other herbs as part of an herbal weight loss product, especially in combination with Green-Tea-Extract or another herb called hoodia extract.

Weight Loss options to consider
5-HTP is a nutrient that helps curb appetite in some individuals. 5-HTP, by converting into serotonin, can be used temporarily to improve will power and decrease the urge to eat until more established weight loss habits are in place.
Green tea extract may be effective in some people as a weight loss pill.
Caffeine is often found in weight loss pills but I personally don't like my patients taking extra caffeine since it can cause increased heart rate and anxiety. Most people already consume enough caffeine through coffee, tea, sodas, and chocolate.
Ginger may be helpful in some people but higher doses are required.
Alpha lipoic acid may also reduce appetite but it is primarily used as an antioxidant.
Guarana may work in combination with yerba mate and damiana
Acetyl-l-carnitine is a weight loss pill that may reduce appetite in some individuals.
Bitter orange is a thermogenic that may also have appetite suppressing properties

Natrol Pure Citrimax, Hydroxycitric Acid derived from Garcinia Cambogia
Natrol Pure CitriMax is derived from the dried rind of Garcinia Cambogia, a native fruit of India. CitriMax contains high concentrations of hydroxycitric acid, verified by HPLC to guarantee potency and quality.

CitriMax Supplement Facts:
Hydroxycitric Acid HCA - 250 mg
     (Standardized extract from Garcinia cambogia fruit)

Click here to buy Garcinia cambogia extract CitriMax

Garcinia Cambogia has long been popular in Asia for helping in the digestion of high-fat meals, and this has recently captured the notice of the rest of the world! Now found in many weight-loss products, the extract of Garcinia Cambogia is being promoted as a weight loss agent.

About the tree
Garcinia Cambogia is a medium-sized, flowering evergreen tree, native to India. It can be found in parts of Asia, West and Central Africa, Australia, and Polynesia. The trees prefer moist forest lands. A member of the citrus family and related to mangosteen, Garcinia Cambogia bears a small yellow fruit that looks like a miniature pumpkin or acorn squash. This fruit has a distinct sweet and sour taste and is generally considered too acidic to be eaten raw. However, the dried fruit is concentrated and used in curries in India, and the fruit extract is traditionally taken after high-fat meals to aid digestion.

Garcinia cambogia extract study
Garcinia cambogia is able to decrease the acidity and to increase the mucosal defense in the gastric areas, thereby justifying its use as an anti-ulcerogenic agent.

Garcinia cambogia extract was used as a potential antiobesity agent. In week 3 of culture with insulin, the fat cells exhibited more numerous and larger intracytoplasmic lipid droplets (i.e. 30-40 microm(2)). When Garcinia cambogia extract and insulin were added simultaneously, the accumulation of lipid droplets was inhibited and the peak droplet area shifted to become smaller (10-20 microm(2)). The activities of glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, a marker of adipose differentiation, were not significantly inhibited by the Garcinia extract. These findings suggest that the Garcinia cambogia extract inhibits lipid droplet accumulation in fat cells without affecting adipose conversion.

1998 Garcinia cambogia extract study in JAMA
Hydroxycitric acid, the active ingredient in the herbal compound Garcinia cambogia, competitively inhibits the extramitochondrial enzyme adenosine triphosphate-citrate (pro-3S)-lyase. As a citrate cleavage enzyme that may play an essential role in de novo lipogenesis inhibition, G cambogia is claimed to lower body weight and reduce fat mass in humans. To evaluate the efficacy of Garcinia for body weight and fat mass loss in overweight human subjects. Twelve-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Overweight men and women subjects (mean body mass index [weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters], approximately 32 kg/m2). Subjects were randomized to receive either active herbal compound (1500 mg of hydroxycitric acid per day) or placebo, and both groups were prescribed a high-fiber, low-energy diet. The treatment period was 12 weeks. Garcinia cambogia failed to produce significant weight loss and fat mass loss beyond that observed with placebo.

Garcinia Cambogia extract study
Effects of (-)-hydroxycitric acid on appetitive variables.
Mattes RD, Bormann L. Purdue University, 212 Stone Hall, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1264, USA.
Physiol Behav. 2000 Oct.
(-)-Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) reportedly promotes weight loss, in part, through suppression of hunger. However, this mechanism has never been evaluated in humans in a controlled study. Eighty-nine mildly overweight females were prescribed 5020-kJ diets for 12 weeks as part of a double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel group study. Forty-two participants ingested 400-mg caplets of Garcinia cambogia 30-60 min prior to meals for a total dose of 2.4 g/day (1.2 g/day HCA). Forty-seven participants ingested matched placebos. Weight and body composition were assessed at baseline and every other week for 12 weeks. Food intake and appetitive variables were assessed at baseline and monthly for 12 weeks. Both groups lost body weight with the active group achieving a significantly greater reduction. No effects of the HCA were observed on appetitive variables. The active treatment group did not exhibit better dietary compliance or significant correlations between appetitive variables and energy intake or weight change. This study does not support a satiety effect of HCA.

Garcinia cambogia (hydroxycitric acid) as a potential antiobesity agent: a randomized controlled trial.
Heymsfield SB. besity Research Center, St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10025, USA.
Hydroxycitric acid, the active ingredient in the herbal compound Garcinia cambogia, competitively inhibits the extramitochondrial enzyme adenosine triphosphate-citrate (pro-3S)-lyase. As a citrate cleavage enzyme that may play an essential role in de novo lipogenesis inhibition, G cambogia is claimed to lower body weight and reduce fat mass in humans. To evaluate the efficacy of Garcinia cambogia for body weight and fat mass loss in overweight human subjects. Twelve-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Overweight men and women subjects (mean body mass index [weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters], approximately 32 kg/m2). Subjects were randomized to receive either active herbal compound (1500 mg of hydroxycitric acid per day) or placebo, and both groups were prescribed a high-fiber, low-energy diet. The treatment period was 12 weeks. Body weight was evaluated every other week and fat mass was measured at weeks 0 and 12. Body weight change and fat mass change. A total of 135 subjects were randomized to either active hydroxycitric acid or placebo ; 42 (64%) in the active hydroxycitric acid group and 42 (61%) in the placebo group completed 12 weeks of treatment. Patients in both groups lost a significant amount of weight during the 12-week treatment period; however, between-group weight loss differences were not statistically significant. There were no significant differences in estimated percentage of body fat mass loss between treatment groups, and the fraction of subject weight loss as fat was not influenced by treatment group. Garcinia cambogia failed to produce significant weight loss and fat mass loss beyond that observed with placebo.

Email received October of 2007
 Dear Sir, Prakruti Products Pvt Ltd established in the year 1998 with an object the standardizing the identification, collection, and extraction of the botanicals in India. We are proud to introduce ourselves as the biggest manufacturers of Garcinia cambogia extract from India. We supply our product worldwide as well as to the major Indian exporters. We can offer you almost all grades of Garcinia extract including water-soluble and water insoluble types. We are herewith providing you our current prices for all available grades of Garcinia cambogia extract as follows. Kindly update us with your current requirements.
GARCINIA COMBOGIA EXTRACT (50% HCA) POWDER (70% HCA) POWDER (40% K) POWDER (50% Mg) POWDER
GARCINIA COMBOGIA EXTRACT (70% Na-Ca) POWDER
In case you would like to have any additional technical details, please do not hesitate to contact us. Prakruti Products Pvt Ltd, Bangalore, India.