Avocado-soybean unsaponifiables (ASU) are the part of avocado and soybean oils that does not turn into soap when the oils are processed, a mix of plant fats and sterols. They have been studied mainly for knee and hip osteoarthritis.
Also known as: ASU, avocado soy unsaponifiables, avocado/soybean unsaponifiables, Piascledine.
The trials in the 2008 meta-analysis and the 3-year hip trial used 300 mg a day (Christensen 2008, Maheu 2014). These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
The NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database lists ASU products such as one from Herbadiet as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling.
What studies show: a 2008 meta-analysis of 4 trials in 664 people with hip or knee osteoarthritis found 300 mg of ASU a day eased pain and improved function more than placebo, with a better chance of benefit in the knee than the hip. All 4 trials were supported by the manufacturer (Christensen 2008). A 2019 meta-analysis also found less pain, and the benefit was in knee but not hip osteoarthritis (Simental-Mendía 2019). In a 3-year trial in 399 people with hip osteoarthritis, joint space loss on X-rays did not differ on average, though fewer people on ASU (40% versus 50%) had marked narrowing, and symptoms did not differ (Maheu 2014).
Safety: side effects were no more common than with placebo in the 2019 meta-analysis (Simental-Mendía 2019). The sources here do not describe drug interactions.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for ASU that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one. It is a mix of plant fats and sterols, so no single figure would describe it.
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