Yes, of course I'm joking-who in their right mind would seriously
talk about something called "Huggulee Guggulee"? What we're actually
going to discuss is an herb called Commiphora Mukul, otherwise known as
Guggul. Just as this plant has extremely unique and interesting names,
so it also has extremely unique and interesting effects on the human
body. In fact, Guggul is such a useful herb that when you learn about it
you'll never want to poke fun at it again.
Grown in India, Guggul is a tree which exudes a resinous sap out of
incisions that are made in its bark. This resin has been used for
centuries as part of India's traditional medicine called Ayurveda. In
our modern world of advanced chemistry, this resinous sap is processed
and purified, and then standardized for a given amount of its active
constituents-Z and E Guggulsterones. These two compounds are plant
sterols with a high degree of human bioactivity and have been shown in
studies to affect many biological processes.
Bodybuilding, being a sport of aesthetics, is not only concerned
about building solid muscle tissue but also reducing the amount of fat
deposits. You might weigh 240 pounds and have a tremendous amount of
muscular development but if you have two inches of subcutaneous fat all
over your body you won't look all that great. You definitely won't be
aesthetically pleasing and some people might even call you Doughboy.
Well, if you're anything like the Guggul tree you won't want to be
called names so you'll work hard at looking your best. Fortunately, in
the case of fat loss, Guggul understands your dilemma and is right there
to help you meet your goals.
I first became interested in Guggulsterones when I noticed a few
studies on their thyroid stimulating properties. I discovered that
Guggulsterones have a direct stimulating action on the thyroid gland
through some or the other enzymatic mechanisms. With this information in
hand, I immediately went out and obtained some standardized Guggul from
my herbal supplier. This Guggul product was made from a yellowish powder
and was claimed to be standardized to 2.5% Guggulsterones. I gave it to
various people to test its effects on body temperature and fat loss. To
my surprise, no one experienced any type of dramatic results on this
product-even at high dosages.
My next step was to study how the Guggul was processed and to make
sure I was getting the best material. After much research, I discovered
that there are two ways of processing Guggul. One, using a solvent to
extract the Guggulsterones, produces a low-potency yellowish powder. The
other produces a high-potency coffee looking brown powder and is
naturally processed according to ancient Indian practices. The product
that I initially obtained was the low-potency, solvent extracted Guggul.
In hopes that there was a difference in effectiveness between the two
types of extracts, I decided to obtain the high-potency brown powder. To
my utter surprise, I discovered that nearly every product on the market
was made from the yellowish, low-potency powder-the coffee looking
extract just couldn't be found! In desperation, I decided to do a search
in India in hopes of finding the required extract. After much ado, I
found the elusive brown Guggul extract and I immediately ordered some
for sampling.
This time when I gave it to people to try, something totally
different occurred. Instead of having a minimal response, the Guggul
extract caused its users to break into a sweat and feel very hot. Upon
taking their body temperatures, some of these people noticed a dramatic
increase. Amazingly, a few people reported body temperatures as high as
101 degrees.
What does all of this mean? First, only purchase a product that is
made with a high potency, natural extract. Not only should the label
indicate this fact, but it can be personally verified by opening one of
the capsules. The material inside should be dark brown in color and have
an odor similar to a mixture of coffee and raisins. Next, the warm/hot
feeling, the sweating, and the rise in body temperature that was
experienced are indeed a confirmation of Guggulsterone's thyroid
stimulating ability. This is good news for those of us trying to lose
weight-especially adipose tissue/fat stores.
When the thyroid gland is stimulated, it produces more thyroid
hormones such as thyroxin. These thyroid hormones have a profound effect
on the rate of metabolism including a direct catabolic effect on adipose
tissue. Practically, this means that Guggulsterones will stimulate your
thyroid to produce more thyroid hormones which in turn will raise your
metabolic rate and burn more fat! Guggulsterones by themselves have been
shown to work very well for fat loss but I have found a combination that
is nothing short of amazing-Guggulsterones and an ECA stack such as
Adipokinetix. We already know that Adipokinetix is an extremely potent
fat burner but it does its work outside the realm of the thyroid.
It made sense to me that if one could combine the fat burning effects
of the thyroid hormones with that of the adrenergic hormones (e.g.
adrenaline) something very dramatic would result. Also, interesting is
the fact that ECA type stacks tend to decrease the amount of thyroid
hormones circulating in the blood over time. Guggulsterones do a great
job of inhibiting this reduction, thus keeping all physiological fat
burning systems operating at a maximum level.
The final ways that Guggulsterones can benefit in the fight to burn
fat is in ketogenic diets and growth hormone use. Over time, ketogenic
diets tend to reduce the thyroid's effectiveness by reducing the
conversion of T4 to the more potent T3.
Who can benefit from this? Hmmm!!! Well, as far as I can tell, nearly
everyone. There is not a single person I know that would not like a
better complexion. This is especially true for those on
anabolic/androgenic steroids as these tend to increase the skin's
oiliness and potential for acne. Let me guess - nobody is laughing at
Mr. Huggulee Guggulee! Indeed, he might have a funny name but in my book
he's a hero. Where else can you find a compound that will help you lose
fat, and at the same time improve your complexion? I've looked long and
hard and have yet to find even one competitor.
Oh yeah! Before I forget, the dosage one should take is 30-60mg three
times per day with meals.
Always remember though to find a product which contains the high
potency naturally extracted Guggul! My final advice then is to go out
and find this guy, shake his hand, and then reap the host of benefits
that he brings.