Cissus Quadrangularis is plant extract that is becoming highly favoured by athletes for its ability to noticeably relieve joint pain and speed up the healing process of bones and joints, as well as accelerate fat loss and augment muscle growth. Any active individual who regularly puts their body under physical stress, struggles with pain or injuries, or wants to improve their body composition, would benefit from supplementing Cissus Quadrangularis. Consequently, Muscle Geek have recently released an optimally dosed Cissus Quadrangularis supplement that is designed for athletes, called CISSUS.
What is Cissus Quadrangularis?
Cissus Quadrangularis is a plant that belongs to the grape family. It is also known as veldt grape or devil’s backbone. This plant is found in parts of Asia, Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The Cissus quadrangularis has been used for thousands of years to treat a variety of ailments, such as gout, haemorrhoids, and allergies, due to its medicinal properties. There is now evidence to suggest supplementing Cissus Quadrangularis can help repair bone fractures and treat pain, as well as protect against chronic diseases and assist in weight loss and muscle growth (1).
The benefits of Cissus Quadrangularis
Cissus Quadrangularis’ medicinal benefits are attributed to its potent vitamin C content, alongside its diverse and unique antioxidant content, including compounds such as phenols, tannis and carotenoids (2). Additionally, there is a medicinal plant sterol in Cissus Quadrangularis called ketosterones which is suggested to be responsible for its joint aiding benefits. The specific combination of this plant extracts make up, has been shown to;
- Promote bone health
- Supports the healing of fractures
- Reduce pain and swelling
- Reduce body fat
- Enhance sense of well-being
- Augment muscle growth
Why Cissus Quadrangularis is great for active individuals & athletes
Those who exercise regularly, whether that be resistance training or cardio based, at recreational or elite level, put their bones and joints under great tension and stress whilst training and competing. Cissus Quadrangularis is a plant extract that has been used to treat joint and bone health and pain for centuries, and is even suggested to accelerate bone growth. For this reason, Cissus Quadrangularis is used and revered by a lot of athletes. By supporting bone and joint health you reduce your chances of injury, and ensure a faster and more effective recovery if injury does occur. Additionally strengthening bone and joint health will enhance performance and power output.
Does Cissus Quadrangularis support joints?
Interestingly, unlike other medicinal extracts, the majority of research into Cissus Quadrangularis’ joint protection benefits has been performed in healthy and active populations. An 8 week study found supplementing 3,200mg of Cissus Quadrangularis to reduce exercise induced joint pain in exercise trained men with previously diagnosed joint pain (3). There are further studies that show Cissus quadrangularis extract to decrease inflammatory markers to the point of noticeable reductions in joint swelling (4). Studies even suggest that this herb extract is more effective at reducing swelling than some conventional medications prescribed to reduce inflammation (5). When assessing the current literature it appears that Cissus is an effective supplement for reducing inflammation around joints and joint pain caused by exercise, making it highly recommendable for athletes or anyone who takes part in regular exercise or has a joint related injury.
Does Cissus Quadrangularis improve bone strength?
A pilot study assessed the effectiveness of Cissus Quadrangularis on speeding up the healing of fractured jawbones. The researchers found supplementation to reduce swelling and pain, and accelerate the healing process (6). The effective protocol was 500mg of Cissus quadrangularis 3 times per day for 6 weeks. This indicates that Cissus quadrangularis is ideal for athletes to take to keep bones and joints strong, address developing injuries, and support faster recovery. This research is supported by another study that found Cissus Quadrangularis to prevent bone loss in mice with osteoporosis (7).
Can Cissus Quadrangularis also reduce fat mass, augment muscle growth & improve overall health and well-being?
Cissus Quadrangularis has been shown to significantly decrease body weight and belly fat, irrespective of changes in diet over the course of an 8 week study. This finding suggests that Cissus Quadrangularis augments the fat burning process. The same study found this extract to also improve blood sugar & blood lipid levels (8), this has the benefit of improving metabolic and cardiovascular health, as well as reducing hunger cravings. The results from this study are supported by another, which found that supplementing Cissus Quadrangularis at 300mg to not only improve these biomarkers of health but also increase blood 5-HT and creatinine. This increase in plasma concentrations also helps curb appetite and accelerate muscle growth (9).
How to take Cissus Quadrangularis
Taking 3 caps of Muscle Geek CISSUS provides 1500mg of the active compound. Ranges from 300mg to 3,200 mg is commonly prescribed in the literature and has been found to be effective for promoting weight loss and aiding joint pain. 6-10 weeks appears to be the recommended cycle length.
What are the side effects of Cissus Quadrangularis?
There is no evidence that taking Cissus quadrangularis extract has negative side effects, and studies indicate that Cissus is “exceedingly safe” to take (10).
A review on using Cissus to treat various ailments has also confirmed that taking cissus is proven to not have any adverse side effects (11).
Recommended Dosage
There isn’t specific guidance for the recommended daily serving of cissus, but studies have deemed the plant as safe to take in doses as high as 3,200 mg per day (12). To get the reported benefits of cissus quadrangularis we recommend a daily dose of 1,500 mg.
Conclusion
Cissus Quadrangularis is plant extract that is becoming highly favoured by athletes for its ability to noticeably relieve joint pain and speed up the healing process of both bones and joints. Cissus Quadrangularis’ medicinal benefits are attributed to its potent vitamin C content, alongside its diverse and unique antioxidant content, including compounds such as phenols, tannis and carotenoids. Additionally, there is a medicinal plant sterol in Cissus Quadrangularis called ketosterones which are suggested to be responsible for its joint aiding benefits. When assessing the current literature it appears that Cissus is an effective supplement for reducing inflammation around joints and reducing joint pain caused by exercise, it also strengthens joint and bone strength. Consequently, Cissus Quadrangularis is highly recommendable for athletes or anyone who takes part in regular strenuous exercise or experiencing a joint related injury. It also can accelerate weight loss, improve cardiovascular and metabolic health, and augment muscle growth.
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