Grown in India, Guggul is a tree which exudes a resinous sap out of incisions that are made in its bark. This resin has been used for centuries as part of India's traditional medicine called Ayurveda. In our modern world of advanced chemistry, this resinous sap is processed and purified, and then standardized for a given amount of its active constituents-Z and E Guggulsterones. These two compounds are plant sterols with a high degree of human bioactivity and have been shown in studies to affect many biological processes including thyroid metabolism, cholesterol management, and dermal (skin) function. In each of these areas, Guggulsterones were shown in studies to be highly effective modulators with near drug-like potency.

Bodybuilding, being a sport of aesthetics, is not only concerned about building solid muscle tissue but also reducing the amount of fat deposits. You might weigh 240 pounds and have a tremendous amount of muscular development but if you have two inches of subcutaneous fat all over your body you won't look all that great. You definitely won't be aesthetically pleasing and some people might even call you Doughboy. Well, if you're anything like the Guggul tree you won't want to be called names so you'll work hard at looking your best. Fortunately, in the case of fat loss, Guggul understands your dilemma and is right there to help you meet your goals.
I first became interested in Guggulsterones when I noticed a few studies on their thyroid stimulating properties. I discovered that Guggulsterones have a direct stimulating action on the thyroid gland through some or the other enzymatic mechanisms. One of the studies concluded that Guggulsterones are a viable option for the treatment of hypothyroidal conditions. With this information in hand, I immediately went out and obtained some standardized Guggul from my herbal supplier. This Guggul product was made from a yellowish powder and was claimed to be standardized to 2.5% Guggulsterones. I gave it to various people to test its effects on body temperature and fat loss. To my surprise, no one experienced any type of dramatic results on this product-even at high dosages.
My next step was to study how the Guggul was processed and to make sure I was getting the best material. After much research, I discovered that there are two ways of processing Guggul. One, using a solvent to extract the Guggulsterones, produces a low-potency yellowish powder. The other produces a high-potency coffee looking brown powder and is naturally processed according to ancient Indian practices. The product that I initially obtained was the low-potency, solvent extracted Guggul.
In hopes that there was a difference in effectiveness between the two types of extracts, I decided to obtain the high-potency brown powder. To my utter surprise, I discovered that nearly every product on the market was made from the yellowish, low-potency powder-the coffee looking extract just couldn't be found! In desperation, I decided to do a search in India in hopes of finding the required extract. After much ado, I found the elusive brown Guggul extract and I immediately ordered some for sampling.

This time when I gave it to people to try, something totally different occurred. Instead of having a minimal response, the Guggul extract caused its users to break into a sweat and feel very hot. Upon taking their body temperatures, some of these people noticed a dramatic increase. Amazingly, a few people reported body temperatures as high as 101 degrees.