Life Extension Red Yeast Rice Gugulipid, 300 mg, 60 capsules

Red yeast rice is manufactured by the fermentation of a strain of yeast, Monascus purpureas, on rice. Red yeast may help maintain already normal cholesterol levels. Traditional use of red yeast rice suggests it as an aid for indigestion, diarrhea, circulation, and spleen and stomach health. Gugulipid is an herbal extract of Commiphora mukul, an indigenous tree of India. This Ayurvedic gum is a key component of Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of health and well-being. In a study in the Journal of Associated Physicians-India1, 125 patients who received gugulipid experienced an 11% decrease in total cholesterol and a 16.8% decrease in triglyceride levels within 3-4 weeks. Patients with elevated cholesterol responded better than patients with normal cholesterol. High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol increased in 60% of the patients receiving gugulipid. In a placebo-controlled study, 205 patients received gugulipid (25 mg. three times a day). Of the gugulipid-treated patients, 70%-80% showed cholesterol reduction compared to virtually none in the placebo group.1 In another placebo controlled trial in 40 patients with high blood fat levels, serum cholesterol declined by 21.75% and triglycerides by 27.1% after three weeks of administration. After 16 weeks, HDL cholesterol increased by 35.8%. The placebo group did not achieve statistically significant results.2 Each Herbal Actives Red Yeast Rice/Gugulipid capsule, providing the greatest concentration of active botanical principles, maximizes the synergistic benefits of the whole extract. References 1. J Assoc Physicians India. 1989;37(5):323-8. 2. Indian J Med Res. 1988;87:356-60.