Garcinia Cambogia in pregnancy and breastfeeding
What the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, part of the NIH, reports about garcinia cambogia — in their words, not ours.
What NCCIH says about safety
It may be unsafe to consume garcinia cambogia products, including multi-ingredient products containing garcinia cambogia extract. Several cases of liver damage have been reported. Some of these cases were severe, but this appears to be uncommon. Other side effects associated with consuming garcinia cambogia include headache, nausea, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Interactions between garcinia cambogia and some drugs affecting the liver and some drugs affecting serotonin (a chemical made by nerve cells) have been reported, and there are theoretical reasons to suspect that garcinia cambogia might interact with other drugs as well. If you take any type of medicine, talk with your health care provider before using garcinia cambogia or other herbal products; some herbs and medicines interact in harmful ways. Little is known about whether it’s safe to use garcinia cambogia during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Quoted in full from NCCIH so nothing is lost in summarising. Where they say “little is known”, that means the studies do not exist — not that the herb is known to be safe, and not that it is known to be harmful.
How much is actually known
Several studies have investigated the effect of garcinia cambogia on weight loss in people. Less research has been done on other uses of garcinia cambogia. Numerous reports of liver toxicity have been reported in people who were taking garcinia cambogia products.
What the research has found
It’s unclear whether garcinia cambogia products help with weight loss. Some evidence suggests a modest effect, while other evidence shows no effect. More research is needed to confirm any effects.
Before you take this
Dose and form change the answer completely. A culinary amount of a spice, a cup of tea, and a concentrated supplement extract are three different things, and most research is done on the last of them.
Supplements are also not regulated like medicines, so strength and purity vary between products. Bring the actual bottle to your midwife, doctor or pharmacist — that conversation is worth more than any page, including this one.
Show the evidence
Source: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), National Institutes of Health. NCCIH states: “This publication is not copyrighted and is in the public domain. Duplication is encouraged.” Read the original on nccih.nih.gov.
We reproduce their safety section whole rather than paraphrasing it, and add no verdict of our own.
Educational reference, not medical advice. Never start or stop a herb, supplement or medicine while pregnant or breastfeeding without checking with your own clinician.