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Avocado

What is the avocado?

The avocado is a tree whose fruit of the same name is a good source of potassium and vitamin D. The fruit, leaves and seeds of the avocado are used to make medicine. The avocado fruit is used to lower cholesterol levels, increase sexual desire and stimulate menstrual flow. Some of the avocado's oils, which chemists call "unsaponifiable fractions", are used to treat osteoarthritis. The leaves, seeds and rind are used to treat diarrhea and dysentery. Avocado oil is applied directly to the skin to heal the skin, as well as to treat sclerosis, gum infections and arthritis. Avocado oil is used in combination with vitamin B12 to treat psoriasis. The flesh of the avocado fruit is applied to the skin to promote hair growth and accelerate wound healing. The seeds, leaves and rind are used to relieve toothache.

How does the avocado work?

The avocado fruit contains a lot of fiber, which may explain its ability to reduce cholesterol levels. The avocado also contains chemicals that could repair cartilage in joints damaged by osteoarthritis.

How effective is the avocado?

Avocado may be effective for the following applications:

  • Treatment of osteoarthritis: ingestion of certain avocado oils (non-saponifiable fractions) and soybean oils appear to significantly relieve pain associated with osteoarthritis and reduce overall impairment from this condition. These oils appear to be more effective for osteoarthritis of the hip than for osteoarthritis of the knee.
  • Reducing total cholesterol levels and levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol
  • Increase levels of "good" HDL cholesterol.

There is not enough scientific data to be able to make a statement regarding the effectiveness of avocado for the treatment of psoriasis. Recent studies show that a specific cream containing avocado oil and vitamin B12 appears to reduce the symptoms of psoriasis as well as conventional treatment with calcipotriol after 12 weeks of treatment. The avocado combination cream also caused significantly less skin irritation. There is also insufficient information on the effectiveness of avocado in promoting the healing of wounds, promoting hair growth, stimulating menstrual flow, and treating sclerosis, diarrhea and toothache. Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of avocado in these applications.

Safety and side effects

The avocado is safe and harmless for most people when the fruit is consumed as a food. Avocado also appears to be safe when its components are used orally as a medicine for up to six months and applied to the skin for up to three months.

The avocado generally has few side effects. One person who used a specific avocado and vitamin B12 cream for psoriasis reported mild itching. It should be kept in mind that avocado fruits are high in calories due to their high fat content

Precautions and warnings

  • Pregnancy and lactation: Not enough is known about the use of avocado products as medicine during pregnancy and lactation. For this reason, pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid such products to be on the safe side.
  • Latex allergy: People who are allergic to latex may also be allergic to avocado.

Dosage

The following dosages have been investigated in scientific studies:

Oral

  • Reduction of cholesterol levels: The avocado dosage used varies depending on the amounts of other fats and the amount of calories consumed.
  • Osteoarthritis: 300 mg of a specific extract consisting of avocado and soybean oils tightly bound to fiber. These oils are called non-saponifiable oils. The extract used to treat osteoarthritis consisted of one-third avocado extract and two-thirds soybean extract.

References

  1. Alvizouri-Munoz M, Carranza-Madrigal J, Herrera-Abarca JE, et al. Effects of avocado as a source of monounsaturated fatty acids on plasma lipid levels. Arch Med Res 1992;23:163-7.
  2. Blanco C, Diaz-Perales A, Collada C, et al. Class I chitinases as potential panallergens involved in the latex-fruit syndrome. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;103(3 Pt 1):507-13.
  3. Blickstein D, Shaklai M, Inbal A. Warfarin antagonism by avocado. Lancet 1991;337:914-5.
  4. Carranza J, Alvizouri M, Alvarado MR, et al [Effects of avocado on the level of blood lipids in patients with phenotype II and IV dyslipidemias]. Arch Inst Cardiol Mex 1995;65:342-8.
  5. Colquhoun DM, Moores D, Somerset SM, Humphries JA. Comparison of the effects on lipoproteins and apolipoproteins of a diet high in monounsaturated fatty acids, enriched with avocado, and a high-carbohydrate diet. Am J Clin Nutr 1992;56:671-7.
  6. Diaz-Perales A, Collada C, Blanco C, et al. Cross-reactions in the latex-fruit syndrome: A relevant role of chitinases but not of complex asparagine-linked glycans. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;104:681-7.
  7. Henrotin YE, Sanchez C, Deberg MA, et al. Avocado/soybean unsaponifiables increase aggrecan synthesis and reduce catabolic and proinflammatory mediator production by human osteoarthritic chondrocytes. J Rheumatol 2003;30:1825-34.
  8. Lequesne M, Maheu E, Cadet C, Dreiser RL. Structural effect of avocado/soybean unsaponifiables on joint space loss in osteoarthritis of the hip. Arthritis Rheum 2002;47:50-8.
  9. Lerman-Garber I, Ichazo-Cerro S, Zamora-Gonzalez J, et al. Effect of a high-monounsaturated fat diet enriched with avocado in NIDDM patients. Diabetes Care 1994;17:311-5.
  10. Lopez Ledesma R, Frati Munari AC, Hernandez Dominguez BC, et al. Monounsaturated fatty acid (avocado) rich diet for mild hypercholesterolemia. Arch Med Res 1996;27:519-23.
  11. Maheu E, Mazieres B, Valat JP, et al. Symptomatic efficacy of avocado/soybean unsaponifiables in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee and hip: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial with a six-month treatment period and a two-month followup demonstrating a persistent effect. Arthritis Rheum 1998;41:81-91.
  12. Naveh E, Werman MJ, Sabo E, Neeman I. Defatted avocado pulp reduces body weight and total hepatic fat but increases plasma cholesterol in male rats fed diets with cholesterol. J Nutr 2002;132:2015-8.
  13. Stucker M, Memmel U, Hoffmann M, et al. Vitamin B(12) cream containing avocado oil in the therapy of plaque psoriasis. Dermatology 2001;203:141-7.