Meratrim by InterHealth Nutraceuticals

POSSIBLY EFFECTIVE

• Periodontitis. Oral and topical mangosteen may modestly improve gum health. Details: A small clinical study in adults with chronic periodontitis shows that applying a gel containing mangosteen pericarp 4% to the periodontal pocket following scaling and root planing procedures improves pocket depth, clinical attachment, and bleeding by 56% to 63%, compared with a 33% to 42% improvement with placebo (97875). Another small clinical study in similar patients shows that applying mangosteen 4% gel to the periodontal pocket following scaling and root planning improves pocket depth and clinical attachment when compared with placebo. However, plaque and bleeding indices were not compared between groups (110126). A clinical study in patients with generalized or localized gingivitis or stage I periodontitis shows that taking 194 mg of a product containing mangosteen and propolis orally improves the modified gingival index by 31% or 40% at weeks 4 or 8, respectively, compared with 16% or 25% in those receiving placebo. No changes in probing depth, clinical attachment, plaque index, bleeding, or gingival recession were observed (106789). It is unclear if these effects are due to mangosteen, propolis, or the combination.

INSUFFICIENT RELIABLE EVIDENCE to RATE

• Alzheimer disease. It is unclear if oral mangosteen is beneficial for patients with Alzheimer disease. Details: A small clinical study in adults with Alzheimer disease in Thailand shows that treatment with oral mangosteen pericarp extract, provided either as 220-280 mg daily for 24 weeks, or as 220-280 mg daily for 12 weeks followed by 440-560 mg daily for 12 weeks, does not consistently improve cognitive function scores to a clinically significant extent when compared with placebo. This study assessed cognitive function on the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog) and Thai Mental State Examination (110127). However, the validity of this study is limited by poor methodology, including inadequate power and blinding.
• Androgenic alopecia. Mangosteen has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear. Details: A large clinical trial in males and females with androgenic and diffuse alopecia shows that applying a hair lotion containing fermented mangosteen 2%, fermented papaya 2%, and caffeine 0.5% to the scalp daily plus use of a shampoo containing fermented mangosteen 0.5% and fermented papaya 0.5% 3 times weekly for 14 weeks improves hair shaft and root quality, hair diameter, and the density and percentage of thick hairs compared to baseline (111719). It is unclear if these effects are due to fermented mangosteen, other ingredients, or the combination.
• Atopic dermatitis (eczema). Although there has been interest in using topical mangosteen for eczema, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of mangosteen for this purpose.
• Muscle fatigue. It is unclear if oral mangosteen is beneficial in preventing muscle fatigue during physical activity. Details: A very small clinical study in healthy, physically active adults shows that drinking 250 mL of a specific mangosteen juice product (Lord Duke Biotechnology Corporation) containing mangosteen, pomegranate, acerola, white grape, strawberry, passion fruit, and tamarind, 1 hour prior to physical activity, does not improve time to exhaustion when compared to the juice product without mangosteen (92805).
• Muscle strength. Oral mangosteen has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear. Details: One small clinical study in young, resistance-trained males shows that taking a combination product (CinDura, Laila Nutraceuticals) containing mangosteen fruit rind extract and Indian cassia leaf extract 400 mg twice daily for 42 days increases muscle strength and endurance when compared with placebo. Single bench and leg presses improved by approximately 23.5 kg and 29.3 kg, respectively, compared with 3.4 kg and 5.2 kg, respectively, in those taking placebo. Also, the number of leg extension repetitions increased by 6.5, compared to an increase of 2 with placebo (101079). It is not clear if these benefits are due to mangosteen, Indian cassia, or the combination.
• Obesity. Oral mangosteen has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear. Details: A small clinical study in healthy adults who were overweight shows that taking a specific combination product containing a mixture of mangosteen and Sphaeranthus indicus (Meratrim, Laila Nutraceuticals) 400 mg twice daily for 16 weeks results in weight loss of 6.7%, compared with weight loss of 1.4% with placebo (97876). In adults with obesity, taking the same dose of this product for 8 weeks results in an additional reduction in body weight of 4.6% when compared with placebo (97878,97879). This product also seems to improve body mass index (BMI), waist and hip measurements, and blood lipids in some patients (97876,97878,97879). It is not clear if these benefits are due to mangosteen, Sphaeranthus indicus, or the combination.
• Osteoarthritis. Topical mangosteen has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear. Details: A large, single-blind clinical study in adults with knee osteoarthritis causing moderate pain shows that applying a specific cream (TMP-4) containing extracts of mangosteen peel, sesame seed, soybean, and gotu kola leaf four times daily for 4 weeks provides similar improvement in pain scores when compared with diclofenac 1% gel. Topical TMP-4 cream also seems to improve knee stiffness, stair climbing, and mobility similarly to diclofenac gel. However, patient impression of overall improvement was higher with diclofenac (110128). The validity of this study is limited by inadequate blinding.
• Schizophrenia. It is unclear if oral mangosteen is beneficial in schizophrenia. Details: A clinical study in adults with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder shows that taking mangosteen pericarp 1000 mg daily for 24 weeks does not improve total symptom severity when compared with placebo (106787). A secondary analysis of cognitive outcomes also did not demonstrate any differences (106790). More evidence is needed to rate mangosteen for these uses.

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POSSIBLY SAFE ...when used orally. Mangosteen has been used with apparent safety at a dose of up to 560 mg daily for 12 weeks (110127). It has also been used with apparent safety in combination with Sphaeranthus indicus (Meratrim, Laila Nutraceuticals) or Indian cassia (Cindura, Laila Nutraceuticals), for a total dose of 800 mg daily for up to 16 weeks (97876,97878,97879,101079). ...when used topically as a single dose. Mangosteen pericarp 4% gel has been applied once along the gum line with apparent safety (97875).

PREGNANCY AND LACTATION:
Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

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ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = Moderate •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = D Theoretically, concomitant use of mangosteen with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs may increase the risk of bleeding.  Details In vitro and animal research shows that gamma-mangostin, a constituent of mangosteen, is a potent and competitive antagonist of the serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor. Antagonism of the 5-HT2A receptor is believed to reduce platelet aggregation (12017,61685,61686).

DONEPEZIL (Aricept) Interaction Rating = Minor Be watchful with this combination. Severity = Mild •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = D Theoretically, concomitant use of mangosteen with donepezil might increase the effects of donepezil.  Details Animal research shows that concomitant use of an aqueous extract of mangosteen pericarp with donepezil increases brain concentrations of donepezil at 4 hours by 64% without associated effects on systemic exposure (106791).

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General ...Orally, mangosteen is generally well tolerated. Topically, no adverse effects have been reported. However, a thorough evaluation of safety outcomes has not been conducted.
Serious Adverse Effects (Rare):
Orally: Lactic acidosis.

Dermatologic ...Orally, mangosteen extract up to 560 mg daily has been reported to cause skin rash. It is not known if this side effect was related to mangosteen (97877).

Gastrointestinal ...Orally, mangosteen extract up to 560 mg daily has been reported to cause constipation, abnormal stool, abdominal discomfort, abdominal bloating, salivation, nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea. It is not known if these side effects were related to mangosteen (97877).

Neurologic/CNS ...Orally, mangosteen extract up to 560 mg daily has been reported to cause mild tiredness, headache, dizziness, and malaise. It is not known if these side effects were related to mangosteen (97877).

Pulmonary/Respiratory ...Orally, mangosteen extract up to 560 mg daily has been reported to cause dry throat, flu-like symptoms, cough, and nasal congestion. It is not known if these side effects were related to mangosteen (97877).

Renal ...Orally, mangosteen extract up to 560 mg daily has been reported to cause abnormal urination. It is not known if this side effect was related to mangosteen (97877). In one case report, a patient with chronic kidney disease and metabolic syndrome consumed mangosteen juice daily for 12 months and later presented with severe lactic acidosis. The juice was reported to contain 250 mg of mangosteen with 25 mg alpha-mangostin per ounce. Alpha-mangostin appears to inhibit mitochondrial function, disrupting the electron transport chain and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production, causing accumulation of reactive oxygen species and inducing apoptosis. Researchers speculate that these effects might have led to lactic acidosis in this patient (16399).

Other ...Orally, mangosteen extract up to 560 mg daily has been reported to cause weight loss. It is not known if this side effect was related to mangosteen (97877).

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