African mangoBotanical

• Weight, body fat and waist circumferencePossibly helps

  Three small randomized controlled trials, all run in Cameroon with participants of African origin, found real reductions versus placebo [1].
  
  Across 4 to 10 weeks they reported lower body weight, roughly 4 to 13 kg, plus lower body-fat percentage and waist circumference [1][7].
  
  Then the reviews arrived. Oxford's Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, summarizing Onakpoya and colleagues, found none of the three reported proper randomization or allocation concealment [3].
  
  All three came from one location, one investigator group and one journal, and that review concluded African mango could not be recommended as a weight-loss aid [3].
  
  ⚠ Two peer-reviewed reviews read the identical three trials differently. McLendon and colleagues called the weight-loss potential significant, while still asking for larger, longer, multi-country replication [7].
  
  ⚠ The participant count does not even match across reviews: 208 per Oxford CEBM, 214 per McLendon, likely from different handling of one trial's arms [3][7].
  
  McGill University's Office for Science and Society flagged the 2009 IGOB131 result as surprisingly large: 13 kg lost and a 40% cholesterol drop in 10 weeks, at one-tenth an earlier trial's dose [12]. ^[3]

• Cholesterol, glucose and inflammatory markersPossibly helps

  The same three Cameroon trials reported improvements beyond weight: lower total and LDL cholesterol, lower fasting blood glucose and lower C-reactive protein [1].
  
  They also reported changes in adiponectin and leptin [1].
  
  Every quality caveat above applies here identically, because these are the same three trials [3]. Health Canada's monograph nonetheless permits cholesterol and glucose claims at the standardized dose [8]. ^[1]

• Traditional and folk usesPossibly helps

  Memorial Sloan Kettering's integrative-medicine reference notes traditional uses for gastrointestinal complaints, pain and infections [2].
  
  The same reference says explicitly that human clinical data for those uses is absent [2]. ^[2]

• IGOB131 standardized extractMatching what was actually studied.

  Elemental content

  A dry seed-kernel extract standardized to 7% albumin content [8]

  Absorption

  Taken as 150 mg twice daily before meals, both in the trials and in Health Canada's monograph [1][8]

  Best for

  Matching what was actually studied. This is the specific form behind every positive clinical result [1][8].

• Non-standardized dried seed powderGeneral antioxidant claims only.

  Elemental content

  Whole dried, powdered seed with no standardization to albumin content [8]

  Absorption

  Health Canada caps it at 3.15 g/day [8]

  Best for

  General antioxidant claims only. The same monograph does not extend weight, cholesterol or glucose claims to this form [8].

• Combination products⚠ Nothing, on current evidence.

  Elemental content

  African mango blended with green tea extract, or with açaí, maqui berry and caffeine [13]

  Absorption

  Sold as capsules, powders and liquids alongside the single-ingredient products [13]

  Best for

  ⚠ Nothing, on current evidence. In a 2012 chemical analysis, none of the multi-ingredient combination products showed any detectable authentic African mango marker compounds [13].

• Gas, headache and insomnia

  Side effects reported in the clinical trials were generally mild: flatulence and gas, headache, and difficulty sleeping [7].
  
  Nausea appears on some references' lists as well [11]. ^[7]

• Blood-pressure medication — nothing documented

  No specific interaction between African mango and antihypertensive drugs turned up in any government, clinical or professional reference reviewed [8][11].
  
  The documented pharmacological concern is specifically with glucose-lowering drugs, not blood-pressure drugs [10]. ^[8]

• Surgery

  Because African mango may affect blood sugar control, medically reviewed references advise stopping it at least 2 weeks before scheduled surgery [11]. ^[11]

• A kidney-failure case report

  One published case report describes a 42-year-old patient who became dialysis-dependent after rapidly progressive kidney failure, following 2.5 months of an African mango herbal preparation [4].
  
  A single case report is a signal worth taking seriously, not an established risk of the supplement [5]. ^[4]

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding

  Health Canada's monograph contraindicates the weight-management use during pregnancy outright [8].
  
  For other purposes it requires a consult-your-doctor warning while breastfeeding, and WebMD and Drugs.com both advise avoiding it for lack of reliable safety data [9][10]. ^[8]

• Blood-sugar-lowering drugs

  This is the clearest documented interaction. Animal studies suggest African mango adds to the effect of antidiabetic medication, and Health Canada requires a label warning to consult a professional first if you are diabetic [8].
  
  The same monograph requires an instruction to stop use if hypoglycemia symptoms appear: anxiety, dizziness, tremor, sweating, nausea or headache [8]. ^[8]

The fruit is food; the supplement is not made from it.

Across West and Central Africa the ripe fruit is eaten fresh or turned into juice and wine [14].

One peer-reviewed nutrition summary puts the ripe pulp at roughly 15.7% carbohydrate, 0.9% protein and 0.2% fat by weight [14].

It also carries phosphorus, calcium, iron, and a notably high vitamin C content of around 70 mg per 100 g [14].

The dried seeds, dika nut or ogbono, have been ground into a mucilaginous soup thickener in the region for centuries [14]. The seeds themselves are separately described as calorie-dense [14].

The capsules sold internationally use a standardized kernel extract, so taking them is not a way of eating any of the above [13].

Before meals, not at a particular hour. Every source that specifies timing anchors the dose to a meal rather than to the clock [8].

Health Canada's monograph direction for the standardized dose is simply to take it before meals [8].

The pivotal trial used 150 mg about 30 minutes before lunch and dinner [1]. An alternate protocol used 1,050 mg 30 minutes before meals with a glass of warm water [10].

The stated rationale is mechanistic rather than tested. The seed's soluble fibre may slow gastric emptying and bind dietary fat, sugar and bile acids [10].

No source reviewed here supports a morning-versus-evening preference independent of meal timing [8].