Download 25 Mangosteen FAQs

25 Mangosteen FAQs
Authoritative Answers to Medical Questions
J. Frederick Templeman, M.D.
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Table of Contents
Q.
My doctor has never heard of the mangosteen fruit, and he doesn't think it will help. Why
hasn't he heard of it, and is he right?
Q.
I'm allergic to many types of food. Will the mangosteen fruit be safe for me?
Q.
Is the mangosteen juice safe for children and infants?
Q.
I'm healthy. Do I need to be taking the mangosteen fruit?
Q.
How much mangosteen juice should I be taking?
Q.
What gives the mangosteen its health-promoting properties?
Q.
Can the mangosteen help with my arthritis?
Q.
Will the mangosteen fruit help with diabetes?
Q.
Will the mangosteen help me with weight loss?
Q.
Will the mangosteen help with neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, Multiple Sclerosis
and Parkinson's?
Q.
Is the mangosteen safe to use with medications?
Q.
Will the mangosteen help with pain?
Q.
Will the mangosteen help with certain GI tract problems such as diarrhea, IBS and
diverticulitis?
Q.
Is the mangosteen safe for pregnant or breast-feeding mothers?
Q.
Will the mangosteen help with breathing disorders such as COPD, asthma, emphysema, and
chronic bronchitis?
Q.
Will the mangosteen help with fibromyalgia?
Q.
Will the mangosteen help with my seasonal allergies (hay fever, etc.)?
Q.
Will mangosteen help with cancer prevention?
Q.
Is the mangosteen fruit dangerous if used by a person on Coumadin therapy due to its
antioxidant properties?
Q.
Will the mangosteen help with migraines and cluster headaches?
Q.
Will the mangosteen help with high cholesterol?
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Q.
I have suffered with low-grade depression called dysthymia for years. Can the mangosteen
help me?
Q.
I have ulcers and GERD because of a bacteria I didn't know I caught. Can I get help from the
mangosteen?
Q.
I've used the mangosteen successfully to treat arthritis in my dog. Is there any reason it
should not be used on animals?
Q.
I used the mangosteen exactly as you suggested for two months but my symptoms have not
improved. Why didn't I get results when so many others do?
Conclusion
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Mangosteen and Health: Your Questions Answered
As the mangosteen fruit continues to grow in popularity and use, there is an increasing demand for
questions to be answered concerning the fruit. On a daily basis I receive many questions and have
answered a large number. The volume of questions at present, however, precludes personalized
answers to every question. I have discovered that most questions differ only in their details.
Therefore, in an effort to answer the most commonly asked questions, I've compiled this
information from questions I have already answered. I trust it will be useful as a resource for you as
you experiment with the mangosteen as a marvellous supplement.
Q. My doctor has never heard of the mangosteen, and he doesn't think it will help. Why hasn't he
heard of it, and is he right?
A. Having practiced conventional medicine for over twenty years I know that most allopathic
physicians do not attempt to keep abreast of the advances in alternative medicine.
This neglect is not purposeful but rather occurs because they've been trained to view drugs as the
primary treatment for illnesses. As I have explained elsewhere (Mangosteen: The X-Factor), drugs
have one specific purpose. They are not intended to perform several functions in the body as
"botanicals" (plant derived therapeutic agents) generally do. In fact, allopathic medicine teaches that
there is a single drug for a single problem. Therefore, physicians do not expect any single agent to
have multiple therapeutic effects. For this reason, their professional bias leads them to be skeptical
of botanicals.
The mangosteen will become a household word, more common than aloe vera. Until it does, and
this is happening rapidly, the number of physicians familiar with the name of the plant will be small.
Physicians will likely be the last group of individuals in American society to inform themselves about
the mangosteen. In this instance, patients will have to do the educating of physicians as they
continue to have results that will baffle their doctors.
Q. I'm allergic to many types of food. Will the mangosteen fruit be safe for me?
A. The mangosteen is a fruit and as such some people will have allergic reactions to it. I've received
reports from some users who have complained about allergic reactions to the fruit, but none of
these reactions have been life threatening. The most common form of allergic reaction to
mangosteen is a skin rash involving redness and swelling. Occasionally, mild headache and joint pain
can also be experienced. Loose stools or constipation may also be the result of an allergic response.
However, as my chiropractic and naturopathic colleagues are quick to point out, many of these
manifestations (which could be allergic) may be due to a "healing crisis" or "detoxification reaction."
Both of these phenomena involve a temporary increase in the severity of symptoms for which the
patient is taking the mangosteen or the manifestation of the allergy symptoms noted above. Initially,
reducing the dosage (sometimes to as little as 5 ml or one teaspoon) and gradually increasing it over
a period of weeks will result in the disappearance of healing crises and detoxification reactions.
Allergic reactions will persist, however, and if severe, may mean that the individual cannot use the
fruit.
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Alternatively, in order to know if the reaction is actually from the fruit, simply stop using it for a
week, then begin again and see if the reaction returns. I have also found it helpful for individuals
with a history of allergies to do a scratch test. This is done by soaking the gauze portion of an
adhesive bandage with mangosteen juice and, after thoroughly washing the area, scratching the
underside of the bicep with a clean pin or needle. Place the soaked bandage over the scratch and
leave it for 36-48 hours. Any redness, itching or swelling can be assumed to be signs of an allergy to
mangosteen.
Q. Is mangosteen juice safe for children and infants?
A. First and foremost, mangosteen is a fruit; therefore you should treat it as any other fruit. Just as
apple juice and orange juice are safe for children, so, too, is mangosteen juice. Having said this,
however, I believe that children should take smaller amounts of the juice (keeping in mind there is
no way to overdose on the fruit juice).
Infants present a special case. Until they reach twelve months of age, infants have "leaky gut." This
means that certain molecules, which would not cross the gut to the bloodstream in an adult, can do
so in a child. Consequences can be adverse, particularly regarding the subsequent development of
allergies. Infants should not use mangosteen until fruit has been successfully added to their diet.
Once fruits have been added, amounts up to 120 ml (1-2 tsp) with meals are well tolerated.
Q. I'm healthy. Do I need to be taking the mangosteen fruit?
A. In my opinion the mangosteen fruit's greatest asset is not its therapeutic properties, but rather its
preventive properties. With a daily serving of mangosteen, consumers are actively building up their
defenses against sickness. It is said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This adage
certainly holds true for the mangosteen. Twenty-three percent of the North American population
will die of cancer. Fifty-two percent will die of the consequences of arteriosclerosis (heart attack and
stroke). Both of these terrible killers are essentially lifestyle diseases, which mean that proper diet,
adequate exercise and judicious supplementation can largely prevent these diseases. The
mangosteen has been proven to reduce the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein, the first step in the
development in atherosclerosis. Its powerful antioxidants also protect against genetic mutations of
the DNA, which can lead to cancer.
Q. How much mangosteen juice should I be taking?
A. For prevention, a minimal dose of 1-3 oz daily is suggested. Because certain xanthones can only
be absorbed with some fat present in the digestive tract, mangosteen should be taken with food.
In disease, when multiple mangosteen servings would be desirable these should be taken at
intervals of four to six hours (the estimated half-life of the xanthones). Therefore, taking the
mangosteen juice at every meal would be ideal. For greater detail regarding regimens in various
disease states, see the booklet The Medical Applications of Mangosteen.
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Q. What gives the mangosteen its health-promoting properties?
A. The mangosteen receives most of its health-promoting properties from compounds called
xanthones, which cannot be found in any other supplement. Xanthones are bioactive molecules with
a polyphenol structure possessing multiple double-carbon bonds. These bonds confer great stability
chemically (for instance, xanthones are not destroyed by heat). For a more in-depth discussion
regarding xanthones and their remarkable properties, please refer to the booklet Mangosteen: The X
Factor.
Q. Can the mangosteen help with my arthritis?
A. In most types of arthritis the majority of mangosteen's benefits will come from its antiinflammatory effects because it blocks the COX enzymes that are pro-inflammatory. In addition,
mangosteen doesn't cause the dangerous gastrointestinal side effects of prescribed or over-thecounter anti-inflammatory drugs. The mangosteen also exhibits a neurological pain-reducing effect,
which I believe exists because of its ability to inhibit the COX-2 in the central nervous system, where
the enzyme is responsible for augmenting pain signals. For example, this COX-2 blocking effect is
likely responsible for the pain relief reported by patients with vertebral disc compression syndromes
(such as sciatica) where nerve damage caused by "degenerative joint disease" is the underlying
problem.
Q. Will the mangosteen fruit help with diabetes?
A. In type I diabetes all the insulin-producing cells (called beta cells) in the pancreas have been
destroyed, which forces patients to use an outside source of insulin to survive. In these patients,
blood sugar control is often very problematic, with levels fluctuating widely. With the use of
mangosteen as a supplement, we have noted the following beneficial effects in type I patients:


Improved glycemic (blood sugar) control as the amplitude of blood sugar fluctuations are
significantly reduced
Perceptible decreases in the frequency of infection
While protection from diabetic complications cannot be easily seen in the short-term, there is good
reason to believe, based on laboratory observations and accepted disease theory, that end-organ
(heart, eye, nerve and kidney) damage can be substantially mitigated in all types of diabetes.
Type II diabetes is primarily linked to obesity. It also has a strong genetic component that increases
the risk of contracting the disease. Type II diabetes (previously called "adult -onset") is now
commonly seen in obese children and teenagers. In fact, our North American epidemic of obesity
has also caused type II diabetes to reach epidemic proportions.
In newly diagnosed (early-stage) diabetics, particularly the obese, the mangosteen appears to have a
beneficial effect in reducing carbohydrate cravings. This facilitates weight loss, which is critical in
controlling the severity of the disease. Additionally, type II diabetics experience significant decreases
in blood sugar levels by using the fruit.
A word of caution – diabetic patients too often take mangosteen's favorable effects on blood sugar
to mean that they can relax their vigilance regarding dietary restrictions or just out-right "cheat"
with forbidden calories. Such action will nullify the beneficial effects of this marvellous food
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supplement. For dosing information, see The Medical Applications of Mangosteen. Patients must
test their blood sugar daily to know when to contact their physician for a reduction in medication
levels.
Q. Will the mangosteen help me with weight loss?
A. I use mangosteen daily and I am overweight. However, when I first started to use it as a
supplement, I did lose about seventeen pounds without dieting. Since losing the weight, I have
regained ten of those pounds. From reports I receive, my experience mirrors that of many
consumers who experience initial weight loss that doesn't usually persist unless behaviour is
changed to prevent regaining the weight. That being said, I have also received far more reports of
very significant weight loss (up to between 40 and100 pounds) that has been maintained without
special precautions besides using the supplement.
Some animal experimental data indicates that mangosteen may stimulate weight loss but it is
insufficiently strong to allow us to predict results.
I have not received any reports of weight gain by users.
Q. Will the mangosteen help with neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, MS and Parkinson's?
A. Alzheimer's disease is an incurable degenerative disease of the brain. Some four million
Americans have Alzheimer's and that number may increase to twenty million by 2020. While the
patients with advance Alzheimer’s are mercifully spared the awareness of their problems, family
members suffer extraordinarily. Physical care, safety issues and behaviour control are major
problems that can drain loved ones as the disease progresses. Institutionalization, particularly if
other significant physical problems exist, is often unavoidable. While there are several drugs on the
market capable of reducing the rate of decline and preserving function, they are expensive and have
nasty gastrointestinal side effects. In addition, none of these drugs address the issue of the lowgrade inflammation of the brain that exists in the disease, and which is responsible for the
characteristic deposition of amyloid plaques.
Additionally, the prevention of the disease is particularly important for people with stricken family
members, because there is a familial pattern to its occurrence. Thus far, with the cause of the
disease still unelucidated, little consensus exists about what can be done to prevent it. There is,
however, general agreement among experts that antioxidant therapy is a worthwhile prevention.
Dr. K. Nakatani of Japan, who studied gamma mangostin, suggested that the anti-inflammatory
effects of the xanthones on the structural cells of the brain (white matter) deserved attention for its
therapeutic potential in inflammatory conditions of the brain. Clinical experience indicates an
improvement in Alzheimer's patients from using mangosteen whether or not they are using drugs;
Patients of multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson's disease have also benefited substantially from
using the mangosteen. Greater benefits are seen in the early stages of these diseases.
Q. Is the mangosteen safe to use with medications?
A. To date we have not observed or had reported any drug-food interactions with the mangosteen.
We do not know, however, precisely how consuming the fruit may affect the P450 enzyme system of
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the liver, although we are currently conducting animal studies to determine this. The results will be
available shortly. When we know, it will be possible to predict any interaction; however, I think it
improbable that anything significant will be found. I base my conclusions on the lack of any reported
and documented food-drug interactions despite hundreds of thousands of servings having been
consumed. While this is not definitive proof that no food-drug interactions exist, I believe it provides
a sufficient level of confidence to offer initial reassurance.
Q. Will the mangosteen help with pain?
A. The mangosteen possesses potent anti-inflammatory qualities. Inflammation, whether acute or
chronic, produces tissue swelling that can compress pain fibers in the areas where the swelling
exists. Inflammation also causes the release of chemicals, which interact with free nerve endings to
produce pain discharges that travel to the spinal cord and from there to the brain.
Reducing or eliminating inflammation through the anti-inflammatory effect of the juice prevents or
removes both the pressure from swelling and the stimulus to produce pain mediators which
stimulate nociceptors (pain nerves).
Additionally, the COX-2 enzyme is constitutive (meaning present at all times) in the central nervous
system (CNS = brain, spinal cord, and cerebrospinal fluid). This enzyme is linked to the transmission
of pain signals up the spinal cord to the brain. Presumptively the mangosteen inhibits the painrelated action of the COX-2 enzyme in the CNS and blocks pain impulse generation.
So, yes, the mangosteen may significantly reduce any pain you might be experiencing.
Q. Will the mangosteen help with certain GI tract problems such as diarrhea, IBS and diverticulitis?
A. Absolutely! Perhaps the most widespread use of the mangosteen in folk medicine has to do with
the gastrointestinal system. The xanthones, alpha and gamma mangostin, have been found to have
both histamine and serotonin receptor blocking capacity. When serotonin is blocked in the gut,
conditions of disordered motility like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) should be affected favorably.
The blocking of serotonin is also the reason mangosteen helps diarrhea sufferers.
There is one study that claims, "Animals treated with xanthones exhibited marked protection against
ulcers."
In Europe, patients with diverticulitis (small pouches in the wall of the large bowel) take low-dose
antibiotics several times a week to remain free of infection. Such frequent dosing, however, leaves
them susceptible to bacterial resistance. It would seem reasonable to use mangosteen to provide
the same protection without the problem of potential bacterial resistance that exists with the
frequent use of antibiotics. This has been tested, and the results are positive.
Q. Is the mangosteen safe for pregnant or breast-feeding mothers?
A. We have many users who have taken the juice while pregnant or while breast-feeding with
nothing but beneficial effects. I find it helpful to think about drinking mangosteen in pregnancy and
during lactation just as you would think about any other fruit juice because, when all is said and
done, the preparation most of you will use contains nothing but fruit juices.
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While the effects of the mangosteen in the body qualify it as a functional food, meaning that it is
consumed for more than simply its pleasant taste, it still is only a food without known toxic effects.
When complications exist in pregnancy such as gestational diabetes or blood pressure problems,
please discuss the use of mangosteen with your physician, just as you would discuss other dietary
changes, pointing out to him/her the reasons for which you wish to supplement with the juice.
Finally, when a mother has an adverse outcome to a pregnancy the first thing she is likely to do is
carefully examine everything different she did during pregnancy. Any change, omission or lack of
precaution she can identify in this examination may lead to severe feelings of guilt. These feelings
can trigger post-partum depression. In all likelihood the adverse outcome will have been
unpreventable but this fact does not stop the depressive pressure the mother feels. Therefore, even
though I am aware of no medical reason why the mangosteen could prove hazardous in pregnancy, I
do not recommend that it be started during pregnancy by anyone who has previously experienced
an adverse outcome in pregnancy or who is seriously concerned about such a problem. My advice is
based upon the desire to avoid severe feelings of guilt in any mother who starts taking the
mangosteen during pregnancy with any reservation whatsoever.
Q. Will the mangosteen help with breathing disorders such as COPD, asthma, emphysema, and
chronic bronchitis?
A. Mangosteen intervenes at several points in the disease processes of breathing disorders. Its
antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal effects can reduce the frequency of lung infections, thereby
reducing cumulative tissue damage. As a result, fewer courses of antibiotic therapy are required.
The anti-inflammatory effects of xanthones (active biological ingredients in the mangosteen)
decrease both inflammation and cell damage while helping prevent the onset of deadly pulmonary
hypertension.
Since the mangosteen also has potent antioxidant effects, it intervenes in every process where free
radicals cause cell damage. It doesn't matter whether this damage results from inflammation of
chronic bronchitis or the destruction of the elastic recoil of the alveoli in emphysema, protection is
provided by the fruit.
Q. Will the mangosteen help with fibromyalgia?
A. The mangosteen contains a COX-2 inhibitor, the only botanical reliably proven by research to
possess such properties. The COX-2 enzyme is always present in the cerebro-spinal fluid and is
directly involved in pain perception. The suppression of COX-2 by mangosteen is the presumptive
means by which fibromyalgia pain is modified. However, the speed with which it acts varies widely
from individual to individual. Some experience improvement in a week or two while others may
need to wait up to three months for its effects to be felt.
Other problems which arise from fibromyalgia, such as fatigue, sleep abnormalities and tender
points, all improve due to the healing properties of xanthones. In clinical experience, xanthones help
restore normal sleep patterns and provide an excellent energy boost as well.
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Q. Will the mangosteen help with my seasonal allergies (hay fever, etc.)?
A. Mangosteen xanthones have proven antihistamine and anti-inflammatory effects, both useful in
controlling the symptoms of allergies. In clinical experience adults and children reported benefits
from the mangosteen. Some were able to stop using the pharmaceutical drug Singulair (a
leukotriene inhibitor).
In addition, the prophylactic use of the juice can prevent allergy and asthma symptoms year-round
in many sufferers.
Q. Will mangosteen help with cancer prevention?
A. The evidence that supplementation reduces the risk of cancer is convincing. Multiple studies have
shown that people who supplement have lower rates of cancer. In a country where 21 percent of
deaths are from cancer, this is a highly significant fact that no intelligent person should ignore. As we
age, our immune systems become less efficient, free radical damage to our cells increases and
cancer rates go up exponentially.
In addition to prevention, the mangosteen has been proven to have potent antitumor effects in
laboratory studies.
Mangosteen contains powerful phytoceuticals called xanthones. One xanthone, garcinone E, was
tested against six chemotherapy agents (5 flouraurcil, cisplatin, vincristine, methotrexate,
mitoxantron and taxol) to compare its ability to kill cancer cells in laboratory preparations. The cell
lines came from lung, stomach and primary liver cancer. Garcinone E was found to be more effective
than all the drugs tested except taxol.
Additionally, it is an established fact that antioxidants (like xanthones) act as modulators of gene
expression. This means they act at the level of the cell's DNA to prevent both mutation and the
activation of oncogenes (cancer genes).
Q. Is the mangosteen fruit dangerous if used by a person on Coumadin therapy due to its
antioxidant properties?
A. The use of antioxidants with Coumadin is hotly debated and no clear answer exists. For the
moment, without proof to the contrary, I believe that there need be no major concern when using
Coumadin and mangosteen. However, if anyone is seriously worried about potential food/drug
interactions, they should consume a fixed amount of mangosteen juice daily for three or four days.
On the fourth or fifth day they should contact their physician and have a blood test (INR) done to see
if there is a need to change Coumadin dosage.
Coumadin is taken daily, but no single day's dose can alter the blood-thinning effect since it takes
several doses to bring about a change. Foods containing vitamin K lower the drug's effect.
Mangosteen does not contain vitamin K; however, many have an unfounded fear that mangosteen
will amplify the drug's blood-thinning effect. Coumadin users worry, justifiably, about the drug's
fluctuating effects. Therefore, I recommend the testing be done for purposes of reassurance.
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Q. Will the mangosteen help with migraines and cluster headaches?
A. It is my belief that neither migraine victims nor their headaches can be effectively categorized. No
single medicine or combination of therapies will be effective for everyone, even the most recent
drug class, the triptans (Imitrex-like drugs).
The mangosteen has been successful where other therapies have failed. There are numerous
personal experiences attesting to this fact posted on the Phytoceutical Research web site
(www.mangosteenmd.com). All sufferers do not, however, find relief. In my opinion, in the
frustrating search for effective control of migraine headaches, no stone should be left unturned. For
many chronic migraine sufferers, however, prevention with a prophylactic dose of one ounce daily
with a meal has provided positive results.
Q. Will the mangosteen help with high cholesterol?
A. We now live in a day and age when half of us will die from heart attacks or strokes. That's a
staggering number. But what's even more surprising is the fact that most of these deaths are
preventable. Heart disease or arteriosclerosis is largely a lifestyle disease, much like cancer (due to
smoking or other factors).
One of the major causes of heart disease is high cholesterol. Cholesterol is a fatty substance in your
body. You get cholesterol in two ways: one, by eating foods with cholesterol in it; and two, your
body manufactures it. Unfortunately, while most of us get high cholesterol from not exercising
enough and not eating properly, some of us are genetically predisposed to have high cholesterol.
Those with this genetic makeup produce too much cholesterol, which may put them at an even
greater risk than those with poor exercise and diet.
There are two types of cholesterol: HDL (high-density lipoprotein, also called "good") and LDL (lowdensity lipoprotein, also called "bad"). The trouble comes when oxidation of the LDL occurs. And this
is where the mangosteen can help. In Thailand and Taiwan, two groups of medical researchers
discovered that gamma mangostin (a mangosteen xanthone) "showed more potent antioxidant
activity than alpha tocopherol (vitamin E)." Australian scientists studied the same xanthone in
experiments using LDL and powerful free radicals. The xanthone successfully protected the LDL from
oxidation by the free radicals.
On the subject of lowering high cholesterol, I would suggest you do not stop taking your prescribed
drug treatment. If you are not taking a prescription drug for your high cholesterol, then I would
suggest you do so. In conjunction with the medication you can take your daily dose of mangosteen
with little concern about drug/food interaction as none have been reported. I have witnessed in my
patients and in myself that the mangosteen can help drop cholesterol ten to thirty points and
actually raise the good cholesterol (HDL), something that is incredibly hard to do with drugs or
exercise.
Q. I have suffered with low-grade depression called dysthymia for years. Can the mangosteen help
me?
A. It is unclear, as yet, why the mangosteen helps with mood disorders (anxiety, panic, depression).
However, reports of positive results are too numerous to discount. I believe that the mangosteen,
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which affects serotonin uptake, may also be involved in altering the levels of other
neurotransmitters as well.
The neurotransmitters which pass data from neuron to neuron in the brain are phenolic in structure,
as are the xanthones.
While severe depression and even bipolar patients have reported favorable results using the fruit, I
do not recommend that patients refuse or discontinue medications in favor of using the
mangosteen. Where no medications have been prescribed, it makes sense to use the fruit alone. But
in all other cases, it should be added to the medications until its effects can be easily observed. At
that time, drug regimens can be modified under a physician's guidance.
Three times a day usage is necessary when treating mood disorders. For dosage information, please
refer to the booklet The Medical Applications of Mangosteen.
Q. I have ulcers and GERD because of a bacteria I didn't know I caught. Can I get help from the
mangosteen?
A. The bacteria Helicobacter pylori has been shown to be a major cause of gastritis, GERD and gastric
and duodenal ulcers. None of the purple pills used to treat these disorders have any action against
this bacteria, which can be found in the majority of patients with ulcers. Recently, H. pylori has also
been implicated as a possible cause of atrial fibrillation, a heart arrhythmia.
The mangosteen, tested against H. pylori in an in vitro experiment, destroyed the bacteria. In a rat
study the researchers stated "animals treated with xanthones exhibited marked protection against
ulcers."
My own GERD is controlled with the mangosteen, and I felt it was more effective in my patients with
GERD and ulcers than were all the purple pills I used to prescribe.
Q. I've used the mangosteen successfully to treat arthritis in my dog. Is there any reason it should
not be used on animals?
A. I know of no reason why the mangosteen's benefits should be denied to animals. I am not a
veterinarian but I have spoken to many vets who use the product with their animal patients. Many
drugs used in humans find useful applications in animals as well.
I recently visited one of the most famous thoroughbred racing farms in Kentucky to discuss the
beneficial results that trainers have seen from using the mangosteen in their horses.
The fruit's potent anti-inflammatory and other qualities, in my non-expert opinion, justify its use in
animals where drugs would be the alternative.
Q. I used the mangosteen exactly as you suggested for two months, but my symptoms have not
improved. Why didn't I get results when so many others do?
A. No treatment works in everyone and no one, doctor or otherwise, knows enough to explain why.
We are all biologically unique and unpredictable as far as specific responses to biological
interventions are concerned. We resemble other humans generally and other family members more
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specifically, but unless we're an identical twin, no one else is exactly like us. Hence, what happens in
our bodies may be different from everyone else.
Disease also represents another huge variable. Signs and symptoms may be similar enough to
recognize commonalities in disease but how a disease affects any given individual is very
unpredictable.
Combine the individual variations implicit in the biological diversity of both patient and disease and
it is surprising that there are any results of therapeutic intervention common enough to be identified
across groups of people and disease. It is not shocking that 20-25 percent of people with the most
common of problems for which the fruit is used (inflammatory disease, for example) do not respond
to the mangosteen. It's simply a fact of life and must be accepted as such. In my opinion, the
response rate for most problems is as good or better with the mangosteen as it is with drugs, and
there are no dangerous side effects (one major benefit of the mangosteen).
Finally, that someone doesn't experience symptomatic relief with the mangosteen is no reason to
believe that "it's not doing anything good for me." Most beneficial change in the body, like most
malevolent change, goes largely unnoticed. I believe that long-term mangosteen use will positively
affect most the body's major organs and systems.
Mangosteen relieves symptoms in most sufferers, but not in all sufferers. It is a remarkable botanical
remedy; however, it is not "magic."
Conclusion
As I close out this selection of questions and answers, I must acknowledge there are many more
valid questions that could have been included in this booklet. The questions and answers I did
include cover the basic facts regarding mangosteen use. Hopefully, these general answers will help
consumers arrive at valid general conclusions when they have questions and cannot contact
someone with the experience or expertise to answer them.
I will summarize those basics here:







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There is no evidence of toxicity, even at very high doses, resulting from the mangosteen
preparation I recommend.
While the mangosteen possesses remarkable medicinal qualities it is still, after everything
has been considered, simply a fruit and its juice simply fruit juice.
Dosing regimens and documented effects are just not available for rare medical conditions
at this point in time.
A daily vitamin and mineral supplement should be used to complement the effects of the
mangosteen.
While some effects can be seen rapidly, most chronic illness symptoms require several
weeks or even months to improve.
Generally speaking, more of the juice is better for all medical applications.
Three times a day or more often, and always with a little food, is the ideal therapeutic
regimen.
The mangosteen as a fruit and as a juice is not a dangerous source of simple sugars or acids.
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If these basics are reviewed when questions arise, most answers will become apparent to the
thoughtful questioner.
14 | P a g e
For information on purchasing mangosteen, please e-mail [email protected]