Garcinia cambogia is a common ingredient in many popular diet pills, such as CitriMax, Dexatrim, and Herbalife. The rind of the little pumpkin-like fruit contains hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which is thought to suppress appetite and inhibit fat production.

A few weight loss studies have shown garcinia decreases weight gain. Unfortunately, those weight loss studies were performed on animals. Garcinia weight loss studies performed on humans don’t provide strong evidence that garcinia is an effective weight loss supplement.

One thing garcinia does have going for it -- garcinia doesn’t have many side effects. High doses of garcinia may produce intestinal distress, such as diarrhea and abdominal pain.

Garcinia costs as little as a few dollars a month if purchased by itself, or as much as $40 or more per month when purchased as an ingredient in popular weight loss pills. If animal studies are any indication of garcinia’s potential, then garcinia may turn out to be a better weight maintenance pill than weight loss pill.