Caralluma Fimbriata

Caralluma Fimbriata is a succulent plant in the family Apocynaceae. It has been eaten in rural India for centuries, raw, as a vegetable with spices, or preserved in chutneys and pickles, and is often found as a roadside shrub or boundary marker. It has been used as a portable food and thirst quencher for hunting. It is also used for its purpored ability to suppress hunger and appetite and enhance stamina. It is believed to have an effect on the appetite control centre of the brain. Tribesmen on a day's hunt will often only pack some Caralluma Fimbriata to sustain themselves and hence it is commonly known as "famine food" in India.

Clinical Studies

Division of Nutrition, Institute of Population Health and Clinical Research, St John's National Academy of Health Sciences

The effect of Caralluma extract was assessed in overweight individuals by a placebo controlled randomized trial. Fifty adult men and women (25-60 years) with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 kg/m2 were randomly assigned into a placebo or experimental group; the latter received 1 g of Caralluma extract per day for 60 days. All subjects were given standard advice regarding a weight reducing diet and physical activity. At the end of 30 and 60 days of intervention, blood glucose and lipids, anthropometric measurements, dietary intake and assessment of appetite was performed. Waist circumference and hunger levels over the observation period showed a significant decline in the experimental group when compared to the placebo group. Caralluma extract appears to suppress appetite and reduce waist circumference