Mangosteen: Liquid vs. Solid

You may have heard that mangosteen is good for you, but which kind to buy? There are juices, pills, injections. It comes in so many forms it's hard to know which kind is right for you. The answer to that question is quite simply solid state or pill form mangosteen is best, read on to find out why.

When Taken in Tablet or Pill Form, 90% of the Mangosteen is Wasted

This is a very misleading statement.

Here's why: there is a huge variation in mangosteen quality.

On one end of the spectrum, you have cheap mangosteen which is mass-produced and sold in supermarket chains. These supplements are made using the cheapest ingredients possible, as well as the cheapest excipients possible (excipients are what bind the ingredients together).

Because of the excipients used, the nutrients are mostly released in the stomach and thus, destroyed by the strong digestive acids present.

In the case of these supplements, 90% of the mangosteen can, indeed, end up wasted in the toilet.

On the other end of the spectrum though, there are companies that manufacture highly sophisticated supplements, often referred to as nutraceuticals. These companies use extremely expensive, all natural, potent ingredients and excipients.

Some of these nutraceuticals, due to the differences noted above, have highly sophisticated delivery systems. For example, high-end brands use excipients that ensure the nutrients are absorbed via the lining of the upper intestinal walls, allowing them to enter the bloodstream where they go to work

In short, it is dishonest for these purveyors of liquid mangosteen to try and claim that all tablet or pill forms of mangosteen have poor absorption. Comparing supermarket variety mangosteen to sophisticated nutraceuticals is like comparing apples to oranges.

Absorption of Liquid Mangosteen is 98% vs. 10% When in Solid Form

Sadly, this is also misleading.

There are only a select few ways nutrients can enter the bloodstream:

1) By injection. This must be performed by a physician or other trained individual. Compounds such as B12 or Human Growth Hormone can be introduced into the body via this route.

2) Through the mucous membranes of the mouth via a sublingual tablet or liquid. This can be a highly effective method of absorption for certain nutrients, but does not work for many others simply because many nutrients possess molecules that are too large to be absorbed via the mucous membranes.

3) Via the lining of the walls of the upper intestines. (Discussed above, this is how many of the best nutraceuticals work).

4) Via the lining of the colon walls using suppositories (suppositories are prescription items and are not applicable to supplements).

5) No specific delivery system.

It is this last category that the cheap supermarket brand mangosteen supplements and the so-called liquid multivitamin fall into.

In short, these cheap supplements and multivitamins are consumed by themselves or with water. After consumption, the vitamins enter the stomach where the majority of the nutritionally beneficial compounds are destroyed by the strong digestive acids present.

The bottom line is, the companies that market liquid mangosteen are taking advantage of the fact that most people are not equipped with an understanding of the principles behind absorption and bioavailability. These companies present their liquid mangosteen as having greater efficacy than it truly does, while at the same time "knocking down" mangosteen that comes in tablet or pill form.

In my opinion, the efficacy of liquid mangosteen is on a par that of the cheap supplements you can buy in any supermarket. Unfortunately, most of these liquid mangosteen products are not cheap at all!

Indeed, many of them command prices of 40 dollars and upwards. This is primarily due to the way these liquid mangosteen products are marketed—multi-level marketing (MLM). MLM schemes have a strong tendency to inflate the retail prices of their products because there are many levels of payment involved for those marketing them.

In my final analysis, the only real reason we can find for taking liquid mangosteen products is if you have problems swallowing pills or tablets.

If you are one of these people, then taking a liquid mangosteen product will probably be better than taking nothing at all.

So there you have it, when you're looking for mangosteen be sure to buy it in solid form. I prefer the Natural Home Cures brand myself as I believe they offer the most Mangosteen 'bang for my buck'. I can pay less and get more (and it's great quality). Who wouldn't like that!