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Garcinia cambogia

Supplement botanical general nutrition
Aka: hydroxycitric acid, HCA, Garcinia gummi-gutta
Brands seen in Singapore: Swanson Vitamins, NOW Foods, Foodology, NatureWise, BioSchwartz
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Sold for weight loss — ODS: little to no effect on weight
When to take
Trials dosed it 30–60 minutes before meals
Pros & cons
Pros
  • A 2011 meta-analysis of 12 trials pooled −0.88 kg
  • Reported adverse effects are generally mild
Cons
  • In the 2 rigorous trials the effect was not significant
  • 10 reported cases of liver toxicity in users
  • 3 reported cases of mania in users
Sources
  1. NIH ODS — Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (Health Professional), updated 18 May 2022; read via the archive.org capture of 26 Aug 2026 because ods.od.nih.gov returns HTTP 403 to direct fetches — Table 1 summary row for Garcinia cambogia · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Garcinia cambogia (hydroxycitric acid) … Several short-term clinical trials of varying methodological quality … Research findings: Little to no effect on body weight … Some safety concerns reported”
  2. NIH ODS — Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (Health Professional), updated 18 May 2022; read via the archive.org capture of 26 Aug 2026 because ods.od.nih.gov returns HTTP 403 to direct fetches — 2011 review and meta-analysis of 12 randomised trials · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “A 2011 review and meta-analysis of 12 randomized controlled trials with a total of 706 participants … Garcinia cambogia (1,000–2,800 mg/day HCA) reduces body weight in the short term by a mean of 0.88 kg compared to placebo”
  3. NIH ODS — Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (Health Professional), updated 18 May 2022; read via the archive.org capture of 26 Aug 2026 because ods.od.nih.gov returns HTTP 403 to direct fetches — what happened when only the rigorous trials were counted · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “when they considered the two rigorously designed trials only (which used 1,500 mg/day and 2,800 mg/day HCA), the effect was no longer statistically significant. Therefore, the effect of Garcinia cambogia on body weight remains uncertain”
  4. NIH ODS — Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (Health Professional), updated 18 May 2022; read via the archive.org capture of 26 Aug 2026 because ods.od.nih.gov returns HTTP 403 to direct fetches — usual adverse effects, and the limit of the safety record · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The reported adverse effects of Garcinia cambogia and HCA are generally mild and include headache, nausea, upper respiratory tract symptoms, and gastrointestinal symptoms … its long-term safety is unknown”
  5. NIH ODS — Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (Health Professional), updated 18 May 2022; read via the archive.org capture of 26 Aug 2026 because ods.od.nih.gov returns HTTP 403 to direct fetches — liver-toxicity reports · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Reports have also described 10 cases of liver toxicity, resulting in one death and two liver transplants, in people taking products containing Garcinia cambogia”
  6. NIH ODS — Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (Health Professional), updated 18 May 2022; read via the archive.org capture of 26 Aug 2026 because ods.od.nih.gov returns HTTP 403 to direct fetches — mania reports · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “dietary supplements containing Garcinia cambogia have been implicated in three cases of mania, which might have been caused by the serotonergic activity of HCA”
  7. NIH ODS — Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (Health Professional), updated 18 May 2022; read via the archive.org capture of 26 Aug 2026 because ods.od.nih.gov returns HTTP 403 to direct fetches — why the liver cases cannot be attributed to garcinia alone · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “In most of these cases, the products contained other botanical ingredients and minerals as well, so the toxicity cannot be definitively attributed to Garcinia cambogia”
  8. NIH ODS — Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (Health Professional), updated 18 May 2022; read via the archive.org capture of 26 Aug 2026 because ods.od.nih.gov returns HTTP 403 to direct fetches — how one 12-week trial dosed it · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “89 women who were mildly overweight … received Garcinia cambogia (800 mg 30–60 minutes before meals for a total daily dose of 2.4 g/day [1,200 mg HCA]) … Women receiving Garcinia cambogia lost significantly more weight (3.7 kg)”
  9. NIH ODS — Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (Health Professional), updated 18 May 2022; read via the archive.org capture of 26 Aug 2026 because ods.od.nih.gov returns HTTP 403 to direct fetches — interactions section · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Garcinia cambogia was associated with serotonin toxicity in a patient taking the supplement together with two selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications”
  10. HSA Singapore — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev. No. 001 (October 2025) — Annex A row 49 — the prohibition names three OTHER Garcinia species; G. cambogia / G. gummi-gutta is NOT among them and is not listed anywhere in Annex A or Annex B · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “49. Garcinia elliptica, G. hanburyi, G. morella — Prohibited in HS and TM”
  11. HSA Singapore — Health Supplements Guidelines GL-CHPB-3-001 (January 2026), clause 4.8 with Tables 4–5, which list vitamins and minerals only — no botanical or fibre rows · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “4.8 HS for use by the general adult population should not contain vitamins and minerals exceeding the stipulated limits stated in Tables 4 and 5.”
  12. iHerb Singapore — Garcinia Cambogia category page, default listing order, 27 Aug 2026 · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “1 - 21 of 21 results: Swanson Vitamins, Garcinia Cambogia 5:1 Extract; NOW Foods, Garcinia Extract; Foodology, Coleology Cutting Jelly; NatureWise, Garcinia Cambogia; BioSchwartz, Garcinia Cambogia, Maximum Strength”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.