Avocado Soybean Unsaponifiables

Avocado/soybean unsaponifiables · Avocado-soybean unsaponifiables · Piascledine

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Knee osteoarthritis symptoms^{1, 2} Hip osteoarthritis progression³ Lower analgesic use⁴ Menopausal hot flashes⁵	Soy allergy⁶ Shellfish allergy, some labels⁶

Avocado-soybean unsaponifiables (ASU) are extracts of the unsaponifiable fraction of avocado and soybean oils, approved as a prescription product in France and marketed as a food supplement elsewhere⁷. Anti-inflammatory and cartilage-matrix effects, shown in vitro, underlie their use for osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms of the knee and hip⁸. The typical patient is an older adult with symptomatic knee OA.

Human research is limited to about nine trials, mostly in knee and hip OA, with single studies in menopausal hot flashes and obesity. Meta-analyses of placebo-controlled trials favored ASU for pain, with better results in knee than in hip OA^{1, 2}. A three-year trial in hip OA found no difference in mean joint space loss, though fewer patients were classed as progressors. Products listing ASU are marketed, typically as capsules; see Form comparison.

French pharmacovigilance reports describe mostly skin, liver, and gastrointestinal reactions that regressed on stopping⁹. Health Canada lists a label caution to consult a health care practitioner before use in pregnancy or breastfeeding¹⁰.

Last updated October 17, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

40 sources, 33 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources