Does Mangosteen really benefit people's health? Can it help keep people healthy and prevent disease?
We all know that prevention is the key to lasting health. As the saying goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
It is especially important in a modern society burdened with an increasing number and level of toxins, free radicals, viruses, bacteria and other destructive agents.
Our immune system tries to protect our body's more than 75 trillion cells from these destructive forces of nature. But it can get overwhelmed and needs reinforcement on a regular basis.
Exercise helps. Diet helps. But we need to add one more to the mix: Supplements.
Vitamins have long been recognized as one of the dietary supplements our body needs to reinvigorate and strengthen itself. But they are not enough. We need something more powerful to help us fight the daily onslaught of destructive agents we've mentioned earlier.
We need Mangosteen to prevent diseases. Mangosteen contains:
- 40+ xanthones - powerful antioxidants and immune system boosters.
- Polysaccharides - highly potent anti-cancer and anti-bacterial plant compounds.
- Catechins - five times more potent as antioxidants than vitamin C.
- Polyphenols - found to be far more potent as antioxidants than vitamin E, considered one of the most powerful known antioxidants.
- Quinones - known for their anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties.
- Stilbenes - known for their anti-fungal and antioxidant properties.
Free Radicals, Viruses, Bacteria and Mangosteen
Free radicals, known to be the root cause of nearly every known disease, need to be taken on and taken out. Antioxidants do the job. But we need lots of it.
So we turn to Mangosteen, which contains up to 30 times more antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable.
Viruses and bacteria are constantly on the attack. We need a strong defender against these vicious micro-organisms.
So we turn to Mangosteen, proven to contain powerful, biologically-active, anti-viral and anti-bacterial compounds.
Strengthened by the presence in our body of these Xanthones and the other potent natural compounds in the Mangosteen, we elevate our immune system defenses, promote good health, and have peace of mind.
Mangosteen Health Benefits
Scientific research studies and clinical experience with fruits extracts of Mangosteens have caught the attention of medical practitioners in recent years.
These scientific studies and practical clinical experience in the medical field, backed by centuries of folk medicine practice, suggest that the natural compounds in Mangosteen may offer support to every system in our body and provide a safe alternative to conventional therapies and treatments.
"Unfortunately, many people will never try it because of its claims of effects across the full spectrum of health concerns.
"They say, 'No one product can do all that!' But my patients know better... Mangosteen works!"
Mangosteen As First-Line Therapy
Dr. Templeman uses the Mangosteen extract in his medical practice as both "first-line therapy in a wide range of conditions because it has, in my experience, proven to be more effective than the prescription medicine I used to prescribe for many conditions."
Based on his experience with the Mangosteen, he wrote that, in his opinion, the Mangosteen extract "equals or outperforms" many prescription and over-the-counter drugs used to address a wide variety of ailments.*
Successful Treatment With Mangosteen Extracts
Dr. Roland Phillips, in his book "Mangosteen: Super Nutrition for the 21st Century"**, discussed his medical group's experience in helping patients with the Mangosteen preparation.
He listed some 45 ailments which they have successfully treated with the Mangosteen extract: from allergies, angina, arthritis, chronic fatigue, depression, diabetes...
... to fibromyalgia, glaucoma, Graves disease, hepatitis C, high blood pressure, LDL and high cholesterol, infertility, macular degeneration, sinusitis, tumors...
The Power To Heal
Dr. Kenneth J. Finsand wrote that "after experiencing the power of the Mangosteen beverage firsthand and researching the history and the scientific studies on the phytochemicals known as Xanthones," he decided to start using the juice with his patients.
"The Xanthones in the Mangosteen clearly contain the power to heal much of what ails the body", he said.***
Dr. Sam Walters, a human nutrition specialist who even formulated nutritional products for astronauts at the NASA Space Center, said that they treat a lot of cancer patients in their clinic. Majority of the (cancer) patients they treat, he said, are Stage Four and beyond.
"In some cases", he said, these patients "have been given six to eight weeks to live. We often witness wonderful results. The Mangosteen juice has become one of the many weapons in our arsenal..."****
More and more medical practitioners are discovering the Mangosteen and are using it in medical practice to help their patients regain their health and improve their lives.
Mangosteen provides a wide variety of health benefits, but can it help people who suffer from Alzheimer's disease?
Scientific studies appear to indicate that a powerful compound in Mangosteens has potent anti-inflammatory effects on the brain's structural cells.
These scientific studies and health professionals' clinical experience with Mangosteen extracts show that it may help with inflammatory conditions of the brain such as Alzheimer's disease.
Mangosteen and Alzheimer's: Clinical Experience
Here's what an allopathic (conventional) doctor --- board certified in both the U.S. and Canada, and with 20+ years of clinical experience --- has to say about Mangosteen and Alzheimer's disease:
"... Clinical experience indicates an improvement in function from using Mangosteen in those patients already being treated with drugs. An increase in goal-directed behavior (activities of daily living) and social interaction were noted.
"This is remarkable because none of the drugs on the market are capable of causing an increase in function. The best they can do is slow the inexorable progression of the disease..."(1)
What Causes Alzheimer's Disease?
As many as 4.5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease, a brain disorder that involves parts of the brain that control memory, language and thought.
It usually begins after age 60, with about five percent of those between 65 and 74 years of age, and about 50 percent of those 85 and older, suffering from it.
An increasing amount of scientific evidence points to chronic inflammation as a key underlying cause in chronic diseases such as Alzheimer's.
This new body of knowledge inspired a Time cover story in February 2004 on Inflammation, which took a "user-friendly" look at the link between inflammation and chronic diseases such as Alzheimer's.
The article states research has shown that for some reason, glial cells --- which nourish and communicate with neurons --- gone out of whack produce chronic glial cell activation, resulting in a chronic inflammation state in the brain.
Alzheimer's and Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
A long-term, 15-year study on Alzheimer's and anti-inflammatory drugs --- done by scientists from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and National Institute of Aging --- showed that the overall risk of AD in 1,686 participants who were taking anti-inflammatory drugs was half the risk of those not taking them.
A principal scientist in this study said that "many scientists now believe that inflammation may be an important component of the Alzheimer's disease process. The amyloid and protein plaques found in Alzheimer's patient's brains, which are hallmarks of the disease, may be indicative of an inflammatory response."
While caution on the long-term use of anti-inflammatory drugs was indicated due to serious side effects (such as peptic ulcers and impaired kidney function), this comprehensive study showed the role inflammation played in Alzheimer's disease.
Science Behind Mangosteen's Ability To Help With Alzheimer's Disease
Japanese scientists with the Department of Pharmaceutical Molecular Biology at Tohoku University performed two separate studies using an extract of the Xanthone gamma-mangostin from Garcinia Mangostana (the scientific name of Mangosteen) and its effect on Prostaglandin E(2) and COX-2 enzymes which play a crucial role in inflammatory conditions.
In the first study, scientists found that gamma-mangostin has potent anti-inflammatory effects on the brain's structural cells and suggested that it has the potential in helping with inflammatory conditions of the brain (Alzheimer's Disease, for example).
The scientists proved that gamma-mangostin inhibited the activities of COX-2, an enzyme that plays a major role in the development of inflammatory conditions.
In a follow-up study, the scientists suggested that gamma-mangostin would be a new useful lead compound for the development of anti-inflammatory drugs.
These two studies proved that the gamma-mangostin in Mangosteen "directly inhibited" the process that leads to inflammation.
Mangosteen offers many health benefits, but can it help with arthritis?
Arthritis is a very painful, debilitating condition resulting from inflammation of the joints in the body, and is linked directly to the effects of the COX-2 enzyme.
All types of arthritis --- osteoarthritis, rheumatoid and juvenile arthritis, gout and pseudo gout, Ankylosing Spondylitis, and Still's disease --- have inflammation linking them to the COX-2 enzyme.
Mangosteen contains natural chemical compounds called Xanthones which have been widely studied for their numerous health benefits.
Studies have shown that gamma-mangostin, one of the Xanthones in Mangosteens, dramatically slows down the production of the COX-2 enzyme that precedes and gives rise to inflammation.
One of these studies, in fact, demonstrated that gamma-mangostin was a more potent anti-inflammatory agent than several anti-inflammatory medications currently prescribed for arthritis and gout.
Inflammation Is The Root Cause of Many Diseases
Inflammation has been linked to many types of diseases and was found to be a major factor in arthritis and other diseases. As an article in Time magazine stated:
"As scientists delve deeper into the fundamental causes of illnesses, they are starting to see links to an age-old immunological defense mechanism called inflammation... Hardly a week goes by without the publication of yet another study uncovering a new way that chronic inflammation does harm to the body." - Time Magazine, February 23, 2004
Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
Opioid pain relievers and so-called NSAID's (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) that are often used to help control inflammation are often intolerable and may cause serious side effects such as stomach ulcers and bleeding.
Antimetabolite drugs that block the metabolism of cells and are used to attack the causes of arthritis can produce wide-ranging adverse effects such as liver disease.
And while anti-inflammatory drugs used for chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis have been developed to block the COX-2 enzyme and inhibit swelling and pain, they also can cause long-term liver damage.
When the first commercial COX-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx and Celebrex were introduced, health care practitioners thought they had found the Holy Grail for arthritis pain sufferers. Initial studies performed on these drugs indicated that they only inhibited the COX-2 enzyme and would not lead to gastrointestinal problems.
But this did not turn out to be the case. Even more serious and sometimes fatal side effects occurred in patients taking these drugs.
Scientists soon realized that there is no such thing as a synthetic, pure COX-2 inhibitor. Drugs for arthritis and inflammation thought to be only COX-2 inhibitors did, in fact, inhibit the COX-1 enzyme as well and caused all sorts of serious health problems that led to some of these drugs being taken off the market.
A Natural Remedy
While the scientific community and pharmaceutical industry have come up with products that seek to address inflammation, practically all of them present the possibility of serious side effects.
Many natural remedies can effectively inhibit the inflammatory process and offer safe alternatives to synthetic drugs.
Mangosteen is one of these safe remedies.
Mangosteen has long been known for its anti-inflammatory properties. The Xanthones in this Asian fruit are able to block the inflammatory process. They are powerful, selective COX-2 inhibitors and do not cause side effects that often result from the use of anti-inflammatory synthetic drugs.
The Xanthones in this fruit can stop and reduce inflammation by both attacking the infection and selectively regulating the COX-2 enzyme without the serious side effects often associated with drugs.
Inflammation and Mangosteen
Researchers from India used Xanthones extracts from the pericarp or skin of the fruit to study its effects on various types of inflammation. Their experiments with laboratory animals showed that the Xanthones inhibited arthritis, suppressed acute and chronic inflammation, and inhibited fatal inflammatory reactions.
In another study on the fruit's effect on inflammation, researchers found that the Xanthones did not interfere with the blood's clotting mechanism and did not damage the stomach lining or produce stomach ulcers.
In fact, the scientists found that the Xanthones even helped heal stomach ulcers.
In another study using glioma (brain) cells in rats, a group of scientists demonstrated that gamma-mangostin, a Mangosteen Xanthone, directly inhibited COX-2 enzymes to help interrupt the chain of events that lead to inflammation.
Gamma-mangostin, found in the pericarp of the fruit, acts as a selective COX-2 inhibitor. In the rat brain cell preparation containing glioma cells, Japanese researchers demonstrated that when gamma-mangostin blocked the production of prostaglandin E2, a compound that plays a part in causing inflammation.
This occurred because gamma-mangostin prevented the COX-2 gene in the glioma cells from being "turned on", effectively blocking the chain of events that leads to inflammation.
These Xanthones reduce inflammation in every cell in the body. Each of the trillions of cells in the body can be positively affected in a powerful way by these natural compounds.
Chronic diseases such as arthritis slowly and often silently evolve over relatively long periods of time. By the time physical symptoms or signs are felt or seen, serious and sometimes irreparable tissue and organ damage may already have occurred.
Practical clinical experience showed that immediate or short-term benefits will rarely be seen in such long-term chronic conditions as arthritis when Mangosteen is used. But relief from pain and swelling can occur in a few days.
Also, based on clinical experience using Mangosteen supplements, a good number of patients with chronic arthritis were even able to get off their prescription medications.
Two to three months of Mangosteen extract intake may be needed before significant results occur. The majority of users, however, may experience its healing benefits in as little as two to three weeks.
Scientific studies have shown that Xanthones found in this amazing fruit are powerful healers of the body and have even greater antioxidant potency than vitamins C and E, two of the most powerful antioxidants known to science.
Xanthones, the natural chemical compounds in Mangosteen, can help detoxify the liver to give back its natural tumor-fighting capabilities. Xanthones were also found to be powerful anti-tumor agents.
Polysaccharides, Catechins and Quinones
There are also Polysaccharides in Mangosteen. Polysaccharides are potent anti-cancer compounds that help block a mutated cell's ability to stick to healthy cells to help stop the spread of the disease.
The fruit also contains Catechins, which were proven to have even greater antioxidant capacity than vitamin C, one of the most potent antioxidants found in food.
Catechins have been shown to prevent the formation of cancer-causing compounds by blocking co-carcinogens, raise the body's natural detoxification defenses, and directly suppress the growth of cancerous cells.
There are Quinones in this fruit. A study done on Quinones found in other plants proved that they significantly inhibited or stopped the growth of malignant cells from human colon cancer.
The Power of Xanthones
Our bodies produce antioxidants to try to balance the free radicals but often are too overwhelmed to repair the damage on their own. The Xanthones in Mangosteen can help.
Xanthones have an incredible ability to heal. They absorb the free radicals that damage healthy cells in the body.
In fact, scientists found that gamma-mangostin, a Xanthone from this fruit, was more potent in its antioxidant activity than other well-known antioxidants.
No other fruit has as many Xanthones or antioxidants as the Mangosteen fruit.
Scientific Studies on Cancer and Mangosteen
The anti-cancer properties of the natural compounds found in Mangosteens have been researched and documented in many independent studies.
In 2002, a study was conducted in Japan in which scientists took six different extracts from the skin of the Mangosteen fruit and tested their effects on human leukemia cancer cells.
The study showed that all extracts were effective in slowing the growth of the leukemia cells, and one of the six extracts completely stopped their growth.
The study demonstrated that the pericarp or skin of the fruit contains a variety of Xanthones and other compounds that stop the proliferation of human leukemia cells.
The Gifu International Institute of Biotechnology also did a similar study and found similar results. Several studies also have duplicated these results.
Also in 2002, scientists at the National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine in Taiwan tested the Mangosteen Xanthone Garcinone E against human cancer cell lines for primary liver cancer, stomach cancer and lung cancer.
Garcinone E was also compared to several other anti-cancer chemotherapy drugs Flouraurcil, Cisplatin, Vincristine, Methotrexate, Mitoxantrone and Taxol®.
In this study, the Garcinone E was found to be more effective than all the cancer drugs tested except Taxol®.
Scientists at Mahin-don University in Bangkok demonstrated that a Mangosteen pericarp extract could kill human breast cancer cells in vitro.
Another scientific study indicated that the Mangosteen inhibited the rapid growth of breast cancer cells and practically caused them to self-destruct. The scientists also found that success with the Mangosteen depended on how much of the extract was used and how much exposure to the Mangosteen the cancer cells actually received.
This study indicated this fruit's huge potential for cancer chemo-prevention.
The chemical reactions resulting from our body's own metabolism create free radicals that present risks to healthy cells in our body.
On the other hand, the human body has developed a sophisticated system that produces "home-made" antioxidants to protect itself from free radical damage caused by its own metabolism. Our immune and other systems produce these home-made antioxidants.
Our body, however, may be unable to produce enough antioxidants to neutralize the free radicals that constantly bombard the healthy cells in our body.
How, then, can we protect ourselves against the free radical attack?
We need antioxidants in large quantities.
Other potent antioxidants also exist in plants such as the Mangosteen.
After studying the antioxidant properties of the Mangosteen's Xanthones, researchers found that they exhibited potent free-radical scavenging activity.
A study done in Singapore compared the antioxidant properties of three fruits from Southeast Asia: Durian, Rambutan and Mangosteen.
The report noted that the extract from the Mangosteen displayed the greatest antioxidant activity. The study also showed that it's antioxidant capacity was as much as seven times that of Durian.
Scientists also demonstrated that two of the Xanthones, alpha-mangostin and gamma-mangostin, proved to be stronger antioxidants than others that are long known for their antioxidant capabilities.
What Are Free Radicals?
Free radicals are unstable atoms or molecules with a missing electron. Their interaction with stable atoms leave otherwise healthy cells irreparably damaged because they "steal" electrons from these stable atoms. This interaction is called "oxidation".
What Do Antioxidants Do?
Antioxidants are atoms or molecules that can give or receive an extra electron. When a free radical bumps into an antioxidant, the antioxidant "donates" the extra electron it has to the free radical, making the free radical's electrons complete. The free radical, having been stabilized through this exchange, stops bumping into healthy cells.
Antioxidants, like the Xanthones found in the Mangosteen, prevent cancer genes from mutating and activating. It's also worth noting that the ability to provide these protective functions is not found in commonly prescribed medicines for this disease.
Mode of Action of Some Cancer Chemotherapy Drugs
There are some chemotherapy drugs that depend on the production of free radicals to destroy tumors which could theoretically be adversely affected by the antioxidants in the Mangosteen.
But as Dr. Frederic Templeman wrote in "A Doctor's Challenge: A Mangosteen Solution"(1), most chemotherapy agents do not work through this mechanism, and to generalize by including "all chemotherapy" drugs under this mode of action "is not justified".
Also, because the positive effects in chemotherapy patients using the Mangosteen are so beneficial, Dr. Templeman says that "to simply trust the oncologist's memory on the mode of action of any individual chemotherapy drug" that antioxidant therapy is contraindicated with the agent being used, "would be unwise".
Dr. Templeman, in "Mangosteen: The X-Factor, 3rd Edition"1, also wrote that an oncologist might advise against using the this fruit's extracts "even when the mode of action of the chemotherapy drug has nothing to do with the production of free radicals", simply because they "don't know in most cases what the mode of action is without looking it up themselves".
It would be wise to ask the pharmacist to look up the drug's mode of action, or to look it up in the Physician's Desk Reference on the Internet, before ignoring the cancer-fighting properties of this amazing fruit.
Supplementation with Mangosteen
Mangosteen should not be substituted for conventional cancer treatment unless a physician says that nothing more can be done. But Mangosteen should work well with most treatments and will provide benefits in combination with other therapies.
The question to ask is: Why wouldn't we use this fruit for these amazing benefits, especially when there's substantial evidence that supplementation reduces the risk of this disease?
We cannot get all the antioxidant protection our bodies require from the food we eat. Supplementation is needed to protect ourselves against cancer.
Can we not combine Mangosteen with conventional cancer therapies, or use some sort of natural treatment when conventional therapy is found to be ineffective?
Many studies have shown that people who supplement have lower rates of cancer. This fact is very significant especially in the U.S., where more than 20% of deaths are due to this disease.
