Benefits
Waist Circumference Reduction
One randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial is cited on this page. Over 16 weeks in 83 completers, waist circumference fell 2.7 cm on the extract while the placebo group gained 0.3 cm (p=0.02). Visceral fat is not among the outcomes reported for that trial, so fat loss beyond weight loss is not supported by the source cited here.
Appetite Suppression
Traditional use by tribal hunters in India for hunger suppression during long hunting periods. Traditional use is background rather than evidence. In the one cited trial, calorie intake fell by 245 kcal on the extract versus 15.8 kcal on placebo (p<0.01).
Weight Maintenance Rather Than Weight Loss
The authors of the cited trial concluded that the extract was effective at maintaining bodyweight during a non calorie controlled diet compared with a placebo. Over 16 weeks the extract group lost 0.37 kg and the placebo group gained 1.33 kg (p=0.03), so most of the difference between groups came from placebo weight gain rather than from weight lost on the extract.
Regulatory Status, Not a Safety Endorsement
FDA issued a letter of no objection in response to a notification covering use of this ingredient in meal replacement products. Such a letter records that the agency reviewed the filing and raised no objection to it. It is not an approval, not an endorsement, and not an agency finding that the ingredient is safe.
Safety Studies Are Not Cited Here
No toxicology or safety study appears among the references listed on this page. The only reference is a 16-week efficacy trial, so a claim that the safety profile is well characterized cannot be checked against the sources shown here.
Mechanism of action
Hypothalamic Appetite Center Modulation
Theoretical mechanism: pregnane glycosides modulate hypothalamic appetite control centers.
Reduced Food Intake / Caloric Deficit
Appetite suppression leads to reduced caloric intake — foundation for weight management effects.
Citrate Lyase Inhibition
Citrate lyase is an enzyme involved in fatty acid synthesis. Its inhibition is a proposed mechanism carried over from the wider literature; no study cited on this page measured citrate lyase activity.
Standardized Pregnane Glycoside Profile
Standardization to a proprietary pregnane glycoside fraction is a manufacturing specification, not a demonstrated biological mechanism.
Clinical trials
Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of Caralluma fimbriata extract over 16 weeks in overweight adults (PMID 33762661). This is the only study cited on this page.
83 overweight adults who completed the trial, 43 on extract and 40 on placebo.
Calorie intake fell by 245 kcal versus 15.8 kcal on placebo (p<0.01). Waist circumference fell 2.7 cm versus a 0.3 cm gain on placebo (p=0.02). Body weight fell 0.37 kg on the extract while the placebo group gained 1.33 kg (p=0.03), so most of the between group difference came from placebo weight gain rather than from weight lost on the extract. Leptin differed between the groups at week 16 (p=0.04). The authors concluded that the extract was effective at maintaining bodyweight during a non calorie controlled diet compared with a placebo.
Uncited, and not a clinical trial. Toxicology work prepared for regulatory submissions is not a study in people, and no such document appears among the references on this page.
Not applicable. No study population is identified and no source is listed.
Uncited. No long-term safety study appears among the references on this page, so no tolerability or adverse event finding can be verified from the sources shown here.