Xango

XanGo, LLC, an international multi-level marketing company based in Lehi, Utah, was founded in 2002.Its main product is a multi-fruit beverage called XanGo Juice, which is promoted as a dietary supplement.^[2] Containing an unspecified percentage of mangosteen juice, Xango Juice has a suggested retail price of approximately $37.50 per bottle. In 2007, the company announced it would be also offerring the "XanGo Goodness Meal Pack" that can feed 50 children with a special powder nutrient and also said it would be looking into developing into the skincare market.

In May 2004, the company was granted a United States patent. In April 2005, the patent was held invalid by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The company is appealing the ruling.As of 2007, the company's annual revenue is about $360,000,000.

XanGo, LLC International, founded in October 2002, is privately owned.

Company operations

Production and distribution

Mangosteen puree is exported from south east Asia to the United States, where the drink is produced. The juice is then sold in the U.S. and (as of mid-2007) exported to Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In July 2007, the company said that it had 5,000 distributors in Malaysia within one month of the launch, and that it was looking at launching sales into India, Pakstan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Brunei through its new marketing network, doing so with Malaysians with close direct contacts in these countries. The company recently opened up operations in Taiwan as of October 2007.

The company sells XanGo Juice mainly using a nine-layer multi-level marketing structure. In June 2006, the company said it had 350,000 distributors. In July, the company told the Federal Trade Commission that there were "roughly 500,000 distributors worldwide", and in November, it reported having more than 600 employees at its Lehi headquarters and more than 500,000 independent distributors in 15 international markets. In July 2007, it said it had about 700,000 distributors, of whom an estimated 70 percent simply use their status to buy the juice at the discounted membership price.

Health benefits claims

Marketing materials used to promote mangosteen juice indicate more than 20 human health benefits, among which are "anti-inflammatory," "anti-microbial," "anti-fungal," "anti-viral," "anti-cancer," "anti-ulcer," "anti-hepatotoxic," "anti-rhinoviral," and "anti-allergic". Promotional literature for the product cites antioxidants from the inedible rind of the fruit as providing health benefits. None of these claims, however, has scientific proof established by peer-reviewed research and human clinical trials, as discussed below.

In mid-2005, the American Cancer Society profile of mangosteen juice said that there was no evidence that any part of the fruit is effective as a treatment for cancer in humans, but preliminary laboratory studies showed some promise for treating acne. The profile mentioned laboratory studies indicating need for further research.

On its website, after stating that "Research shows xanthones (a component of XanGo juice) possess potent antioxidant properties that may help maintain intestinal health, strengthen the immune system, neutralize free radicals, help support cartilage and joint function, and promote a healthy seasonal respiratory system", the company adds this disclaimer as a footnote: "These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease"^[21].

The company's scientific advisor, David A. Morton, PhD(whose brothers, Joe and Gordon, helped found the company), stated in 2006 there is "emerging evidence that mangosteen has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-microbial properties", yet acknowledged the only study of humans consuming mangosteen juice was conducted as a test of dysentery therapy in Singapore in 1932. "I don’t think there are plans to study mangosteen in humans in the near future," Dr. Morton said in 2006, because "there’s much too much that still needs to be studied in the lab".

In 2007, the Mayo Clinic stated there was no evidence in humans that mangosteen juice had anti-inflammatory activity.