The Mangosteen Scam
June 29, 2008 by Dr. Nicole Sundene
Filed under Antioxidants, Fruits and Veggies, Kitchen Sink
By Dr. Nicole Sundene
If you think a $40 dollar bottle of juice is going to cure all that ails you, then I have a mountain to sell you right here in Washington State!
The mountain typically retails for forty billion dollars.
However, if you simply join my pyramid scam, become a distributor, and enroll all your friends and family in my program, then I will generously allow everyone the use of Mt. Rainier for the LOW LOW price of just forty bucks a week. Research shows that mountain climbing is a cure all, as exercise is associated with weight loss, reduced anxiety, improved mood, lowered blood sugar levels, reduced cholesterol, and increased bone mineral density.
Climbing mountains will also likely stimulate your immune system, prevent heart disease, cure constipation, and generally give you a more positive outlook on life! Please contact me if you are interested in making this life saving purchase and enrolling in my program or becoming a distributor!
I’m sorry, but if one more person emails me about mangosteen, I think I will scream.
Mangosteen is a Southeast Asian fruit that is proclaimed to have high antioxidant levels and thus “amazing healing properties”.
First of all from a botanical standpoint, ALL fruits contain HIGH antioxidant levels because unlike the leaves of the plant that utilize the sun’s harsh UV rays to make sugar, the fruits lack the cellular biology needed to engage in photosynthesis. Without antioxidants, the fruit of the plant would shrivel in the sun and die.
The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) measures the antioxidant capabilities of foods to quench unstable disease causing molecules in the body called “free radicals”. Consistently topping the ORAC charts as the healthiest antioxidant sources are pomegranates, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, grapes, and prunes. After hours of research, I have yet to see actual independent laboratory confirmation on the supposed “high ORAC score of mangosteen”.
Furthermore, our commonly consumed high antioxidant fruits can be picked up locally for the most part, and are dirt cheap in comparison to a bottle of mangosteen juice, or other tropical fruit hype like acai and noni juice.
Common fruits are healing enough.
You do not need a fruit from South East Asia preserved in syrup to do this for you, when the same “magical healing properties” are probably growing in your own back yard.
Mangosteen retailers claim on their websites that mangosteen reduces inflammation, heals the digestive tract, cures arthritis, prevents and treats cancer, cures a variety of skin ailments, and much more.
Well you know what?
So do a lot of fruits and vegetables! Why do you think I started Kitchen Table Medicine? Because I wanted to promote the healing foods that grace our kitchen tables.
Let’s take garlic for instance, garlic has been proven to be anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-parasitic, and lowers blood pressure- amongst many other fabulous therapeutic properties noted in the article “The Many Uses of Garlic”.
Now what if garlic was persnickety and only grew well in one small region of the world?
What if some multi-level marketing company manufactured garlic in a pyramid scheme?
What then?
What if we all paid $40 a week for the healing power of garlic?
I think it is possible to classify mangosteen as BOTH hype and help. After reviewing the 73 research articles on www.PubMed.gov about the healing properties of mangosteen, formally known as Garcinia mangostana, I am not completely convinced that it is worth the $40 bucks a bottle. Yes,the xanthones in mangosteen clearly have medicinal properties. But, as a therapeutic agent, mangosteen is more expensive than most outrageously priced prescription drugs! To attain the necessary purported effects one would need to consume upward of $160-$200 a month of this juice.
As a naturopathic physician, I am hesitant to be overly excited about mangosteen for the following six reasons:
- Many fruits and vegetables exhibit similar healing properties.
- Mangosteen is extremely expensive.
- Inflammation is just a numbers game. Just because you are consuming antioxidants every day, does not necessarily mean that you are canceling out all the free radicals you are eating in your diet that come from fried and processed foods, fatty foods, and meats.
- I have yet to find any independent laboratory evaluations of Mangosteen such as what may be found at Consumer Labs. Without independent laboratory evaluation there is absolutely no guarantee that what is on the label is what is on the bottle. You could be drinking REALLY expensive prune juice.
- Juice or syrup is not an adequate delivery mechanism for a therapeutic agent. Diabetes is a national epidemic. People need less sugar, not more.
- Most juice manufacturers are making juice from the “whole fruit” when the healing components in the research are derived from the rind of the fruit. The white fleshy inner portion of the fruit has no known medicinal properties.
- You are not buying just mangosteen juice: it is typically a blend of other high antioxidant fruits such as apple, grape, blueberry, and raspberry juice. Manufacturers do not state on the labels how much mangosteen juice (if any) is included.
If products containing mangosteen have not been evaluated by an independent laboratory such as Consumer Labs, there is no guarantee that what is on the label is actually on the bottle. I follow the latest reports religiously and it seems that manufacturing standards in Asia are consistently of poor quality. Lead contamination being a predominant issue. In addition, Americans should support the American economy by purchasing products that are American home-grown, home-made, and manufactured.
I cannot discount that the xanthones in mangosteen likely have therapeutic properties, but I have to take a minute to be the nature cure voice of reason about this ridiculously overpriced juice. Until the price comes down and it does not cost someone nearly $200 a month to use as a therapeutic, this natural medicine in my mind is no better than an overly priced drug advertised during the Super Bowl.
Mangosteen needs to be bumped out of the limelight by blueberries.
Why?
Because BLUEBERRIES ARE A MUCH CHEAPER SUPER FRUIT! Blueberries have the biggest bang for your buck. Blueberries are delicious, they are a potent anti-inflammatory medication, they are fabulous for diabetics, the pigments protect your microvasculature with their high proanthocyanin content, they score high on the ORAC for their antioxidant properties, AND most importantly, they grow around us locally. Let’s not waste the environment that much more by promoting the gas guzzling shipping of foreign foods when we have local farmers that need our support right here in America.
If you really want to do what is best for your health, as well as the health of our country and our earth, then support your local blueberry, raspberry, cherry, grape, and plum growers.
With that being said, if you can afford a $40 dollar bottle of juice, and you think it makes you feel better, then by all means…drink up! Otherwise, if you are simply looking to reduce inflammation by increasing the consumption of antioxidants in your diet, then eat your fruits and vegetables, drink green tea, follow a Whole Foods Diet, remove arachidonic acid from your diet, and support the agriculture that grows around you locally by purchasing organic foods from farmer’s markets.
Better yet…grow your own!
There is no “magical bullet” people. If there was, I would be on it. Trust me.
~ Dr. Nicole Sundene
Naturopathic Physician
www.KitchenTableMedicine.com
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Reminds me of Noni and some other “miracle tonics”. How is one to decipher between the good and the bad?
That was an excellent article about mangosteen that closely echoes my own views.
I too have grave reservations about anything that is distributed via mlm, even though some of the products look ok.
I also have to wonder how much the price is inflated, in order to cover the cut of each person in the pyramid?
There are so many great tips in this post. I can not imagine myself or anyone I know paying $40.00 for juice, but I know it happens all the time. Thanks for all the great information!
OooooH Dr. Nicole,
I love when you get on your soap box and tell all of us the truth about these “scams”. I’ve tried mangosteen juice (bought it at Costco for less than $40). I used up that one bottle, didn’t “feel” any better or worse, and decided it didn’t have any benefits I could measure.
I do agree, there are many other great “super foods” out there, such as blueberries.
Thanks for shedding the light!
Talk about timely information; my wife just asked me this morning if I should try Mangosteen juice. I am having a rather bad day with my arthritis and she is looking for ideas to help. I told her if the claims were anywhere near accurate a drug company would be buying-up mangosteens plantations and selling it themselves. Or, as we know they always try and do, try to find the “active agent” and concentrate it, or synthesize it for “Maximum” effect.
I prefer to attack my problem with more established means, such as eating blueberries and raspberries. Also using herbs like ginger and turmeric (proven to have anti-inflammatory properties). Also, using Yoga, Qi Gong, meditation and self-hypnosis. All of which have given me much relief. Sure I still have bad days, but don’t we all. I am still far better off than I was, and have significantly more tools than the Rheumatologist said I would have (“There is really nothing you can do. It is only going to spread and get worse”.). What a sorry excuse for a “physician”! I have Osteoarthritis and do not accept there is “nothing” that can be done! You show us with your articles that there certainly are possibilities!
Thank you so much for your work! Your efforts are truly appreciated!
Sincerely,
David A.
Wow, now that was a soap box!
I personally know some people who use and promote the Xango juice. They have told me of some of the benefits they have received from drinking the juice - no more arthritis, no more cold sores, etc. They are trustworthy people and I believe them. I don’t know about the compensation plan or what all the juice really does.
Aside from that I would say:
Eat your fruits and vegies. There are so many good ones out there.
I was in a direct selling program that was NOT MLM and was fantastic. Their products were so good that even though I am not promoting the products or the business any more I am still and will always be a customer with them They just have real products with real prices that really work. Everyone in the business wins - not just the people at the top. Best compensation plan and products out there. I still get a check for over $100 every month and I’m not even promoting their products anymore!
So, about that apple patch diet…..!!!!!
Hi Sunny Beach- I think that the best way to know if something is hype or not, is to stick with the things that have passed the test of time. The media works on people’s desire to find a “magic bullet” cure all for all their problems, so anytime something new comes out it will be way over publicized. The problem with this is that it typically leaves common sense behind in the dust.
Hi Lee- I have those same concerns and that is why I just have a strict “NO MLM” policy. I have seen some products that are very over-inflated compared to their equivalents. While some of course are not, and a great deal for people distributing them. I know I probably just offended a bunch of my colleagues with this article that engage in MLM, but this is my site for my opinions. LOL Take em or leave em!
Hi Maria- Glad you enjoyed the post. For those that can afford this expensive juice and find it helpful…I say keep it up! But, for the many that cannot and may get caught by the hype their are certainly less expensive alternatives. I mean even pomegranate juice is only $7 bucks a bottle!
Hi Barbara! Glad you liked the post. I am happy to see that you “smartly” went around testing the juice. I usually tell people to go ahead and try something for 3 months. If they don’t notice any difference, then it likely won’t be beneficial. Most improvements should be noted after a month though. Natural cures do take longer than prescription, so sometimes we have to be patient, but there is no reason you couldn’t do a test with a nightly bowl of blueberries!
Hi David A! Glad you enjoyed this post. Your wife is right that a high anti-oxidant beverage will prevent further destruction of your joints. You may be interested in also reading in the arthritis category about glucosamine and fish oil. Looks like you are using all my favorites for OA. Thanks for leaving your two cents!
Hi Jennifer- Yes, I do get on my soap box from time to time…I mean how can I not? LOL My goal with this was not to offend anyone that engages in network marketing. I am simply stating my opinion about it, and cautioning people to consider if the price is worth the product. I am aware of many products via MLM that are actually very high quality. I just personally won’t promote them as a physician because I find it unprofessional and unethical. Just my opinion. Hooray an extra $100 a month though. Maybe you can convert me…j/k
Hi Kathleen! Apples are fabulous, high antioxidants and malic acid which works wonders for those with fibromyalgia. The pectins in apples, lower cholesterol, aid weight loss and absorb toxins. They truly do keep the doctor away.
Author of blog Dr. Nicole Sundene says if you think a $40 dollar bottle of juice is going to cure all that troubles you can be right .Go through this blog to find more about juices.
For network marketing, people that get into it need to realize that it takes work and persistence to be successful like any business. It’s really just a business model based on sales. But I like your review of the juice. There isn’t a magic bullet like you say and a fruit like the Mangosteen isn’t going to be the end all cure to everything.
Great post! You’re completely right. And blueberries seem expensive until you compare them with things like mangosteen an noni juice…
What’s your opinion on Resveratrol, the substance found in red wine, now condensed and sold in pill form?
Kat’s last blog post..White Walls
Excellent Article Dr. Nicole!
That is exactly how I feel about MonaVie. Some readers brought it to my attention to promote it and after I did the research I was deeply dissapointed by what I found out.
I think it all boils down to people just not getting it in our society today - THERE ARE NO MAGIC CURES! We have to eat proper EVERYDAY and not just look for that magical cure when things go wrong or to supplement the poor diet and think that everything will be okay.
My approach to health and wellness as a Holistic Nutritionist is to get to the root of the problem and fix that not just mask the problem in whatever way.
One more thing…I love what you said about all the fruits and vegetables - that is exactly it - eat in balance and you get all the benefits!
Evita’s last blog post..Coca-Cola: Maybe the Real Thing, But Definitely Not the Healthy Thing
Hurrah for you and common sense medicine/nutrition. Most of us are sick of the hype coming from both sides of the equation - alternative health to Big Pharma and mainstream medicine’s indoctrinated docs!
Thanks,
Rod Newbound, RN’s last blog post..Are You a Sugar Zombie?
[...] are berries all the latest rage? In my Mangosteen Scam tirade I discussed that all deeply pigmented fruit skins are high in antioxidants. From a botanical [...]
I’m in the UK and I’ve never heard of Mangosteen. Every so often our country gets swept by so called “cure alls”
I believe if you eat a good and varied diet then that’s enough to keep you healthy. Plus, lots of exercise too.
Linda’s last blog post..The Healing Power of Thanksgiving
Thank you for an enlightening article. We think fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive but buy the expensive mlm business model items because someone claims it is a cure all.
There is nothing like, living stress free, eating fresh, avoiding damaging habits like smoking etc. Lifestyle plus good eating habits is easier and a lot less expensive. These juice companies are just a form of Ponzi type businesses.
Two women have just ‘done their round’ at my mothers UK church. They have convinced the (mainly) elderly congregation that Mangosteen is the miracle ‘must have cure for all’ potion. My mother asked me to place an order with MY credit card.
After spending three hours researching this product, I can now confidently inform her that the £4 high antioxidant juice in local stores isn’t that expensive after all and can provide her with suitable nutritious benefits.
I will also be accompanying her to the next chrch meeting, where I will be putting a few questions to these women when they attend to collect the money!
Thanx!
By the way, how fresh and how safe is Mangosteen post tsunami?????
Dr. Sundene,
At the risk of making you ’scream’ over some other mangosteen email, please hear me out!!
First of all, I want to thank you for your overview and I think your points are very valid and I believe very necessary for people to understand. Second, I am a Xango distributor. I am not going to get up on a ’soap box’, try to convince you to think different or try to ‘pitch you’ on my ‘wares’!! I promise!! I am hoping to open a line of communication with you…that’s all!
What is important for people to understand is that Xango makes no claims what-so-ever about the benefits of their product. Unfortunately, as with anything, there is always some overzealous folks that take it upon themselves to spread ‘the good word’ in all it’s ‘glory’. All we say is try the juice and see what it does for you. Period. I would love the opportunity to be able to talk with you so that you could help guide me in ways that we could educate and teach people to promote the product, or whatever other product they are excited about, in a way that would help dispel or clear out the people and jargon that typically give our industry a bad rap. All mangosteen juice is not created equal!!
With the amount of correspondence you must receive, you may not read this and if you do, I doubt that you will respond…but I hope I am wrong and that we can educate each other. I would like to clear up a few things and hope that you will take these points into account. I have added comments to the following points you have made in brackets:
1. Many fruits and vegetables exhibit similar healing properties. - (true, but there is differences in how stable a fruit or vegetable is after being harvested, how it is harvested, etc.)
2. Mangosteen is extremely expensive. (as an independent Xango distributor, your personal product is a tax write off 100%)
3. Inflammation is just a numbers game. Just because you are consuming antioxidants every day, does not necessarily mean that you are canceling out all the free radicals you are eating in your diet that come from fried and processed foods, fatty foods, and meats. - (true - even exercising creates free radicals. Xango distributors are also taught that Xango does not replace a good vitamin and mineral supplement)
4. I have yet to find any independent laboratory evaluations of Mangosteen such as what may be found at Consumer Labs. Without independent laboratory evaluation there is absolutely no guarantee that what is on the label is what is on the bottle. You could be drinking REALLY expensive prune juice.
5. Juice or syrup is not an adequate delivery mechanism for a therapeutic agent. Diabetes is a national epidemic. People need less sugar, not more. (A ’shot’ of mangosteen juice is equivalent to an 1/8th of a pear or apple, which a diabetic can easily incorporate in to their diet. My ex wife is an insulin dependent diabetic and I would have no issues discussing the benefits that she, as well as numerous other diabetics have received…personal opinion and experience of course, no claims here. Also, I think that you are generalizing by saying that juice or syrup is not an adequate delivery system)
6. Most juice manufacturers are making juice from the “whole fruit” when the healing components in the research are derived from the rind of the fruit. The white fleshy inner portion of the fruit has no known medicinal properties. (Xango is the only company that has a ‘patented process’ that utilizes the entire mangosteen fruit…fruit, pericarp or rind, stem, seeds and leaves…that is one thing that separates Xango from the other ‘100%’ Mangosteen products that use marketing propaganda to sell another ‘me too’ product)
7. You are not buying just mangosteen juice: it is typically a blend of other high antioxidant fruits such as apple, grape, blueberry, and raspberry juice. Manufacturers do not state on the labels how much mangosteen juice (if any) is included. (The ingredient list on a product is always listed as most to least…that is old knowledge. Our products first list of ingredients is ‘Whole Mangosteen Puree’)
Next thing, you say that ‘After hours of research, I have yet to see actual independent laboratory confirmation on the supposed “high ORAC score of mangosteen”. As a Doctor, you obviously know that ORAC scores are not a very great way of measuring a products efficacy. ORAC scores would be higher if you added a few drops of vitamin C to Kool Aid than the highest ORAC scoring product available. We had our product tested before there were any other mangosteen supplements available but as soon as others came along we stopped using this as we felt it was misleading the public. It is an easy score to manipulate and that is why we don’t bother with it. However, if you would like to know where we stand with that, check out the following response from Brunswick Laboratories: Educated people know that ORAC testing is a new process and results can be easily manipulated with a few drops of extra vitamins or artificial additives. In fact, based on ORAC scores manipulation, the President of Brunswick Labs released a letter stating how dangerous and unprofessional it is to compare products to each other. Here is a direct quote: “It is very important to understand the difficulty in making direct comparisons - harvest times and growing conditions dramatically affect the antioxidant capacity of fruits, berries, nuts and vegetables. Physical state of sample - fruit/berries that are in a fresh state, freeze dried state, concentrated extract, ” spiked” sample(s) — can affect the ORAC value several thousand percent.” - Jim Nichols. The full letter is available on request. The best thing here would be to investigate the procedures and processes that Xango utilizes in harvesting and preserving the mangosteen fruit before they make the juice.
Again, I am only hoping to have the opportunity to educate each other here…I am not trying to be a smart alec or to argue your points with you. The last thing I will put out to you is a bit of a ‘challenge’ if you are up to it! I would like you to check out the following link: http://www.insidemangosteen.com/wayne1/photo-7.html This will take you to pictures of me when I was burned with kerosene. These pictures are over a 9 day period! I was told 4 - 6 months recovery and permanent scars. Look at my hand in the last picture compared to my face…my hand was only blistered but I decided to do what the hospital told me to do but ONLY ON MY HAND. All I used on my face was mangosteen juice soaked on a cloth, 2 -3 times per day for 10 minutes at a time. What do you think? Here is my challenge to you: Number 1, contact me back at [email protected] with your thoughts on this email. Number 2, If you have a patient that is burned, get them to apply ONLY grape juice to their burns for a period of 9 days and take photos to document the progress.
I look forward to talking with you at your earliest convenience. Great site, keep up the good work and keep educating the public! We need more people like you out there!!
Sincerely,
Wayne Ellis
Hi Wayne, thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice comment and clarifying the difference between your products and others. As I stated at the bottom of my diatribe, if people can afford the juice I have no problem with them using it…..it just upsets me when little old ladies complain they can’t afford high quality food, yet they are buying really expensive juice. That is my greatest pet peeve with all supplements including mangosteen. Again thank you for your polite debate on this controversial discussion. I don’t mind if people disagree with me, I just prefer that they be polite about it
Dr. Nicole Sundene,
Please let us know what you think of the burn pictures of Wayne Ellis. He is a friend of mine and I saw it before my eyes.
Warm regards.
About five years ago I became aware of Mangosteen when some friends joined the big MLM promotion. A few overzealous folks making absurd claims? you mean more like 90%, right? With all the too good to be true claims, promises, and promotion, I was skeptical right away. The red flags were flying high.
A little research into the backgrounds of the folks who started this MLM, and the picture was complete: Nonsense, bs, overhyped, SCAM!
I feel sorry for the otherwise honest people sucked into this, and more so for the end users who pay the outrageous prices and believe they are getting something worthwhile in return.
“What is important for people to understand is that Xango makes no claims what-so-ever about the benefits of their product. ”
Not true! The very first time I heard of it was when a friend (a distributor) gave me their literature. It was so full of hype and transparent BS that the red flags were flying high.
Face it, it is a hyped, BS product that should sell for $5/bottle TOPS. I call it “Scamgo” because of the overhyped claims for the benefits of the ingredients known as ‘Scamthones”.
I too have a problem with pyramid sales. I would like to defend mangosteen as a product. It is an excellent anti inflamatory along with additional benefits. My experience with it has generated very positive reactions. I have used the whole fruit in capsule form, of course at a much higher dose and significantly lower cost. Try it, I think you will like it. Thank you, Dr Diane
I see all the people I know becoming Jus distributors. How do I escape from these scamers ??? I hate this concentrated ****, I would better go to Winco Foods and buy some grapes and peaches for the price of Jus bottle.
These MLM scamers make people idiots.
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.
Re: Wayne’ pictures
Anyone else notice his facial hair didn’t burn at all? I call BS.