Policosanol, taken in the amount of 10 mg twice a day for at least six months, increases pain-free walking capacity by over 50% in people with intermittent claudication according to two double-blind trials.^1,2 When policosanol was taken continuously for two years, walking capacity more than doubled.¹ This effect may be related to the ability of policosanol to reduce the stickiness of platelets,^4,5,6 which could result in improved circulation.

 

The effect of policosanol on serum triglycerides has been inconsistent, ranging from no effect up to as much as a 19% reduction.^{6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15} Several controlled studies have compared policosanol with cholesterol-lowering medications, such as statins, and have found policosanol similarly effective.^{16,17,18,19,20,21,22} Policosanol extracted from beeswax or other sources differs from the sugar-cane-derived preparation in the proportions of long-chain alcohols, and whether these types of policosanol are as effective as sugar-cane-derived policosanol is unknown.

Policosanol is a mixture of lipid-soluble compounds from sugar cane wax and early clinical trials indicated it may be useful in lowering high cholesterol levels.^23,24,25 Nevertheless, questions related to fact that these clinical findings have not been reproduced by researchers outside of Cuba remain unanswered.^26,27 More recently, policosanol has been used in a combination supplement that also contains red yeast rice, berberine, folic acid, astaxanthin, and coenzyme Q10. Several randomized controlled trials have shown this combination can improve lipid levels similarly to statin medications.²⁸