Ingredients:Cissus quadrangularis Linn (Veld grape), Rheum palmatum Linn,
Anacyclus pyrethrum(L.)DC.
Category: Health Food
Label: For the treatment of haemorrhoids
Off label Claims: laxative, helps weight loss, strengthens bones
Directions:
2 tablets before meals,
3 times a day
The many aspects of Cissus quadrangularis
Cissus quadrangularis is an ancient medicinal plant known
as Veld grape, native to the hotter
parts of Ceylon and India. It was prescribed in the ancient Ayurvedic
texts as a general tonic and analgesic, with specific bone fracture
healing properties. Modern research has shed light on Cissus' ability to
speed bone healing by showing it acts as a glucocorticoid antagonist.
Since anabolic/androgenic compounds are well known to act as antagonists
to the glucocorticoid receptor as well as promote bone growth and
fracture healing, it has been postulated that Cissus possesses anabolic
and/or androgenic properties. In addition to speeding the remodeling
process of the healing bone, Cissus also leads to a much faster increase
in bone tensile strength. In clinical trials Cissus has led to a
fracture healing time on the order of 55 to 33 percent of that of
controls. That cissus exerts antiglucocorticoid properties is suggested
by a number of studies where bones were weakend by treatment with
cortisol, and upon administration of Cissus extract the cortisol induced
weakening was halted, and the healing process begun.
While the increased rate of bone healing may be of great significance to
persons suffering from chronic diseases like osteoporosis, the
antiglucocorticoid properties of Cissus are likely of much more interest
to the average bodybuilder or athlete, since endogenous glucocorticoids,
particularly cortisol, are not only catabolic to bone, but catabolize
muscle tissue as well. Numerous studies over the years have suggested
that glucorticoids, including the body's endogenous hormone cortisol
activate pathways that degrade not only bone, but skeletal muscle tissue
as well. A recently published report documented exactly how
glucocorticoids (including cortisol) induce muscle breakdown: They
activate the so-called ubiquitin-proteasome pathway of proteolysis. This
pathway of tissue breakdown is important for removing damaged and
non-functional proteins. However, when it is overactive during periods
of elevated cortisol (e.g disease states, stress, and overtraining)
excess amounts of normal tissue are broken down as well. By exerting an
anabolic, antiglucorticoid effect cissus helps preserve muscle tissue
during times of physical and emotional stress.
Although the bulk of the research on Cissus centers around bone healing,
the possibility exists that Cissus may act to improve bone healing it
may improve the healing rate of connective tissue in general, including
tendons. If this is the case it would be of great benefit to
bodybuilders and athletes.
Besides the above-mentioned properties of Cissus, the plant is also rich
in the vitamins/antioxidants vitamin C and beta-carotene. As analyzed,
Cissus quadrangularis contained ascorbic acid 479 mg, and carotene 267
units per 100g of freshly prepared paste in addition to calcium oxalate.
The typical recommended daily dosage of Cissus extract is between 100
and 500 mg, depending on the concentration of the extract and the
severity of symptoms. For the powder of the dried plant, the Ayurvedic
texts recommend a dosage of 3 to 6 grams to accelerate fracture healing.
Safety studies in rats showed no toxic effects at dosages as high as
2000 mg/kg of body weight. So not only is Cissus efficacious, it is also
quite safe, in either the dried powder form or the commercially
available extract.
Cissus also possess analgesic properties on a mg per mg basis comparable
to aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen. Cissus
quadrangularis constitutes one of the ingredients of an Ayurvedic
preparation, `Laksha Gogglu', which has been proved to be highly
effective in relieving pain, reduction of swelling and promoting the
process of healing of the simple fractures as well as in curing the
allied disorders associated with fractures. The mechanism through which
Cissus exerts its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties has not
been well characterized. It may act centrally, but the anti-inflammatory
features suggest that it acts by preventing the conversion of
arachidonic acid to inflammatory prostaglandins.
