Garcinia cambogia is a tree native to India and Southeast Asia whose fruit rind contains hydroxycitric acid (HCA). Garcinia products with HCA are promoted for appetite control and weight loss, but NCCIH says it is unclear whether they help.
Also known as: garcinia, hydroxycitric acid, HCA, Malabar tamarind, Garcinia gummi-gutta.
Garcinia has no intake value or upper limit. The trials ODS describes used 2.4 to 3 g a day of garcinia (1,200 to 1,500 mg of HCA) for 12 weeks, and a meta-analysis covered 1,000 to 2,800 mg a day of HCA for 2 to 12 weeks. These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
It is sold in the US 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.
On weight, ODS says the evidence is conflicting and any effect appears small. In one 12-week trial, women on a low-calorie diet lost 3.7 kg with garcinia versus 2.4 kg with placebo; in another, there was no significant difference. A 2011 meta-analysis found about 0.88 kg more short-term weight loss than placebo, but the effect disappeared when only the two well-designed trials were counted.
Safety, per NCCIH and ODS: NCCIH says it may be unsafe to use garcinia products, including multi-ingredient products, because several cases of liver damage have been reported, some severe. ODS describes 10 cases of liver toxicity, including one death and two liver transplants, though most products contained other ingredients too, and three cases of mania. Other side effects include headache, nausea and diarrhea. NCCIH says interactions have been reported with some drugs that affect the liver and some that affect serotonin. Little is known about use in pregnancy or breastfeeding, and long-term safety is unknown.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for garcinia or HCA that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one.
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