You may have heard about the wonderful things mangosteen and acai can do for your health but are wary of taking these ‘medicines’ without knowing their potential side effects.
Keep in mind that although neither mangosteen and acai are pharmaceuticals they are chemicals (albeit naturally occurring ones) that can cause some irritating effects if taken improperly or in too high a dose.
For example, with mangosteen one of the problems some people with hypoglycemic tendencies report is feeling a bit ’shakey’ after taking the supplement. The solution to this problem is to take mangosteen with some protein to avoid the sugar spike that causes that uncomfortable ’shakey’ feeling. This will also give the xanthones a chance to enhance the body’s sensitivity to insulin on a cellular level.
The next two commonly reported side effects are a rash and insomnia. Both of these can be explained as ’sensitivities’. Let me elaborate on that, often times when a new substance is introduced into the body an allergy-like reaction can take place. In the case of the rash, your body’s liver and kidneys are overwhelmed by the new substance and reject it. The way to rectify the rash is to cut back on the dose of mangosteen taken and see if the body can tolerate the new lower dose. If it is truly a sensitivity (and not a full out allergy) the body should adapt to the lower dose and a higher dose can be tried eventually. In the case of the insomnia, the mechanisms at work are a little different. The anti-inflammatory properties of the xanthones are actually what cause some people to suffer from slight insomnia. Think of it like taking an over the counter anti-histamine: some people react by becoming drowsy while others react be getting ‘wired’. The xanthones in mangosteen work in a similar fashion although they are not nearly as severe as any over the counter medication.
Loose stools, headaches and itchy skin should be treated with a little more care and caution than the above symptoms. Although mangosteen is generally well tolerated, it does contain a lot of fibre, if your digestive tract is in very poor condition you may want to consider a lower dose of mangosteen or an alternative treatment to enhance or strengthen the digestive tract before beginning a course of the supplement. Even though fibre is essential for healthy digestion, it may be too big a stressor for poorly functioning intestines.
Headaches could be your body’s way of telling you that you have an full-blown allergy to mangosteen and you should stop treatment at once and start again in a weeks time on half the dose. The xanthones’ anti-inflammatory properties can cause headaches in people who are prone to migraines and who are sensitive to vascular dilation of any kind.
Itchy skin, unlike a rash, is usually indicative of a sluggish liver. As is the case with headaches, you should discontinue using the product immediately, wait and week and start again on a smaller dosage. If the problem persists, you should discontinue use of mangosteen altogether.
Acai is, on the whole, tolerated better than mangosteen. The only reported side effects of acai have been constipation and gas. There isn’t a general consensus as to why this happens to some people and not others but the the general rule of thumb is: stop use of acai and take steps to enhance your intestines and digestive tract. Once your digestive tract has been sufficiently strengthened, acai shouldn’t cause any problems at all. There are many kits out there to help build a strong digestive tract and I encourage you to visit your local health food store to find out which kit would be right for you.
Finally, it is important to note that ‘bad’ or impure mangosteen and/or acai can leads to a multitude of side-effects and those mentioned above are in no way a complete list of symptoms. Always make sure the mangosteen and acai supplements you take are pure and of good quality. I recommend the Natural Home Cures brand. It’s made from 100% pure mangosteen and acai (depending on the supplement) and it comes in solid form so it’s not packed with filler that could potentially cause reactions.
Remember, the quality of the product will make a big difference in how your body tolerates it and the effects you get out of the supplement. Like the saying goes: ‘garbage in, garbage out’. Making sure you have a quality product (like the Natural Home Cures Brand) will make sure you are getting the purest form of mangosteen or acai money can buy and cut down on potential bad reactions.
sharon kilan
on July 5 2010
i am a 50 year old woman. have beeen takeing mangosteen capsuals 2 twice a day for 3mth. in the last 3 weeks i have had very tender and growing breasts and my hair is falling out quite a lot. is this a side effect of having taking the mangosteen or may be a sign of menapose, im not sure. coud you please help me with all the research you have and help me thanks.
regards sharon kilan in vic australia.
Andrew
on October 29 2010
I had my first try with mangosteen five months ago. The supplements made my omnipresent allergies disappear. I was so very thrilled. Not having to sneeze 30 times a day for 365 days a year was an amazing. I am constantly taking anti-histamines and nasal sprays to control my non-allergenic rhinitis. Mangosteen is the first natural product to completely curb it.
That, however, came at a price. Three weeks after beginning the natural treatment, I developed a furuncle under my armpit. They’re quite painful. I went to the doctor and he recommended I stop taking every medication. Within four days the furuncle was gone. I started taking mangosteen again, without any other medication, and in two weeks the furuncle was back, same place. I stopped taking it and within a few days the furuncle was gone. I haven’t taken the supplements since due to fear of developing furuncles.
Two weeks ago I found mangosteen juice. I always buy cranberry juice, and sitting right next to it was the yellowish mangosteen bottle. I bought it and had been drinking it for almost 4 days until i started feeling some weird pains all over my body, especially my bladder. Weird, I know. Like the supplements, the juice also took away my every-hour rhinitis symptoms. I sneeze all the time due to Hot to cold changes, cologne, my nose is sensitive to the touch, sun light, etc. Mangosteen takes my nasal symptoms away.
The juice didn’t cause furuncles, not yet at least, but it certainly caused pain where my bladder is supposed to be. I had been drinking a lot of water and cranberry to help- thinking I may have had a urinary infection. I stopped the mangosteen juice and the next day the pain was gone. I started it again this monday, a very small amount, and the pain came back.
Should I just give up this miracle/painful fruit? Is this normal? I have never had any side effects to any fruits. I have had acai many times and never had any side effects.
admin
on November 11 2010
Hello Andrew, sorry for getting back to you late. Experiencing pain is never normal. While they may be few in numbers it sounds like you may be having an allergic reaction to mangosteen. This allergic reaction is no different than someone having hives from sea food, etc. Everyone responds differently to allergies. The one question I would ask though is what exactly was the mangosteen supplement that you were taking made out of. It may not be the mangosteen itself but the additives, preservatives, or other ingredients that it may have contained that your body is reacting to. This could apply to both, the mangosteen supplement and/or the mangosteen juice that you tried due to certain products containing many other ingredients in them. If you want to give it one last shot I would suggest trying one that is 100% freeze dried without the extra additives and preservatives. If you don’t get the same reaction then it was probably the extra ingredients that did not sit well with you.
admin
on November 11 2010
Mangosteen would not cause these types of side effects. The tender breasts may be a sign of menopause but to be sure have your doctor do a blood test to check your hormone levels. Hair loss can also result from a hormone imbalance due to menopause. The following vitamins are related to hair loss: vitamin E, and the B group vitamins. They are B3, B5, and B12. Adding a supplement to include these vitamins may help.
Diana
on June 16 2011
I have been having heart arrithymas, could it be from Mangosteen?I was taking supplements. I am not right now. I have Afib, and I am just checking.
admin
on October 28 2011
There is no know evidence that mangosteen can cause arrhythmias, however this is not to say there is not a remote chance this could be the case. As at the same time the medical and scientific understanding of mangosteen is so very new to our western culture. Please do not take any chance and immediate consult your physician.