Garcinia Cambogia

Garcinia gummi-gutta · Hydroxycitric acid · Malabar tamarind

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Body weight reduction¹ Waist circumference¹	Liver disease² Pregnancy or lactation² Antidepressant use² Diabetes²

Garcinia cambogia is a tropical fruit whose rind supplies hydroxycitric acid (HCA), promoted for appetite control and weight loss³. HCA is theorized to act by reducing fatty acid synthesis².

A placebo-controlled trial found no effect of HCA on appetite⁴. A 2024 national survey study listed garcinia cambogia among six botanicals with liver liability used by adults in the United States⁵. Products are mostly capsules, with over a thousand products listing garcinia cambogia; see Form comparison.

Liver injury drives the main caution.⁶ LiverTox rates garcinia a likely rare cause of clinically apparent liver injury⁶, and a Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network study linked it to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele B*35:01, suggesting immune-mediated injury⁷. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health advises talking with a health care provider before use when taking any medicine³.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

52 sources, 36 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.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
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