Researchers in India looked at the effects of Garcinia mangostana fruit rind and Cinnamomum tamala leaf extracts on muscle strength and endurance, and at the end of the trial found that the extracts, “in combination with resistance training, is effective in promoting muscle strength, growth and in improving endurance performance in resistance-trained young males,” they wrote in their report.
More specifically, participants from the human trial who ingested the botanical blend exhibited a significantly increased number of repetitions in leg extension exercises as well as bigger arm girth increases compared to the placebo group.
Laila Nutraceuticals, an Indian supplier of functional ingredients and specialist of botanical extracts, funded and conducted the study, which was published yesterday in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. The blend used is commercially available under the brand name CinDura.
The plants were chosen because of previous studies linking their nitrate content to boosted nitric oxide synthesis in the body, which in turn may support physical performance and tolerance to exercise.
Additionally, these plants have been used for millennia by different societies in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia for medicinal purposes.
“There are growing concerns over possible side effects of long-term consumption of many plants used in various supplements,” they wrote. “Hence, we sought to develop an herbal blend using extracts from plants with a long history of human consumption as food or condiment to ensure the product’s safety.”
Lab mice swam longer with botanical blend compared to placebo
There were two arms in the study—an animal trial followed by a human clinical trial. For the first arm, researchers analyzed how male Swiss albino mice performed in different physical tests after consuming the botanical extract blend.
In four groups with six mice each, researchers gave them either a placebo (made of carboxymethyulcellulose sodium), 150 mg/kg botanical blend, 300 mg/kg of the botanical blend, or the anabolic androgenic steroid Oxymetholone (also known as Anadrol).
Mice consumed the materials once a day through oral gavage for 21 days. After the supplementation period, mice went through two different physical tests—a forced swim test, where mice were forced to swim in warm water for 10 minutes with a load of 5% of body weight attached to tails, and a forelimb grip strength test, where mice grasped a bar equipped with a force transducer so researchers can assess grip strength.
Researchers then collected muscle tissue samples. At the end, they found that mice receiving the botanical blend exhibited increased swimming time. In fact, the 300 mg supplement group exhibited an increase similar to the mice given the drug Anadrol.
Additionally, mice supplemented with the botanical blend exhibited increased grip strength compared to the control group.
Human clinical trial details
For the human portion of the study, 38 healthy, resistance-trained male subjects between the ages 19 and 39 completed the study.
At random, researchers assigned either a placebo or botanical blend to each participant, and advised them to maintain their regular dietary habits and refrain from consuming any other nutritional supplements or energy drinks containing creatine, arginine, citrulline, proteins, or amino acids.
Supplements came in two capsules for daily consumption—wither 400 mg of excipients in each capsule for the placebo or 400 mg botanical blend for the intervention capsule. Participants consumed both doses daily for 42 days.
After initial intake and baseline measurements, the participants visited the lab again on days 14, 28, and 42 to perform full body exercises (like bent rows, calf raises, hammer curls), leg extensions on a machine to measure endurance, and collect body measurements.
Source: Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
Published online, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-018-0257-4
“Combined extracts of Garcinia mangostana fruit rind and Cinnamomum tamala leaf supplementation enhances muscle strength and endurance in resistance trained males”
Authors: Manikyeswara Rao Konda, et al.
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