Garcinia (60% Hydroxycitric Acid)

History and Uses:
Garcinia is a medium to large evergreen tree. The fruit may resemble a small yellow or reddish pumpkin, or it may have a unique purple color, and it has been used safely as a food for centuries in many areas of tropical Asia. The fruit of Garcinia cambogia has been traditionally used in food preparation and cooking, having a distinctive sweet acid taste. When fully ripe, it is too acidic to eat fresh by itself. In Ayurvedic medicine, it is said that sour flavors such as those from Garcinia activate digestion. HCA, or hydroxycitric acid, is a natural substance that is extracted from the rind of the fruit of the Garcinia cambogia tree and has been extensively studied for over thirty years and found to be effective in inhibiting lipogenesis, lowering the production of cholesterol and fatty acids, increasing the production of glycogen in the liver, suppressing appetite, increasing the body's production of heat by activating the process of thermogenesis, and encouraging weight-loss in laboratory animals. This acid is a natural compound that is similar to citric acid found in other citrus fruits. A decoction of the fruit rind is often given in support of rheumatism and bowel complaints. There have been numerous studies lately that determined possible uses of HCA for dieters or athletes, and research with animals has found that HCA enhances weight loss by curbing the animals' appetites naturally and by modifying metabolism, so that they have less of a tendency to convert carbohydrates to fat. Other studies have found that HCA supplementation may decrease appetite and also inhibit the actions of a specific enzyme in the liver called ATP Cytrate Lyase. This enzyme is specifically responsible for the conversion of carbohydrates to fat.