An aqueous leaf and stem extract of Cissus quandrangularis (CQR) has been shown to reduce body fat and improve components of metabolic syndrome in overweight individuals. The research, published in theJournal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, was a double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial on 67 subjects.
Subjects were divided into two groups. The placebo group received 300 mg of corn starch per day; the CQR group received 300 mg of CQR daily for 8 weeks.
The result:Those in the CQR group had a 12.8% decrease in body fat as measure by DEXA; the placebo group showed no difference using DEXA. Compared with the placebo group, the CQR group also experienced significant decreases in waist and hip circumferences, as well as in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose and leptin levels. No adverse effect was reported in the CQR group.
The full study by
