Gum Guggulu - Oleogum Resin from Commiphora wightii (Arnot.) Bhandari: Source, Medicinal Importance and Biosynthesis

One of the Divyaushidhi in Ayurveda, Gum Guggulu, contains two principal components, Guggulsterone-E and Guggulsterone-Z, with immense medicinal values. Guggulsterones are the phytosterols found in the oleo-gum-resin of Commiphora wightii (Guggul), a critically endangered medicinal plant of the arid region. Studies have found that guggulsterones are helpful in the treatment of obesity, cancer, arthritis, hyperlipidaemia, hypercholesterolemia and so on. In this review, the plant and its distribution around the globe, the source of gum guggulu, guggulsterones, their role in clinical biology and possible pathways of phytosterol biosynthesis leading to the deciphering of the not yet known biosynthesis pathway for guggulsterones are discussed.