Cholestar contains some of the following: Pantethine, Chromium, Inositol Hexaniacinate, Red Rice Yeast Extract and Garlic Extract, as well as a proprietary blend consisting of Terminalis Arjuna Extract, Codonpsis Root Extract and Guggul Gum Extract.

Some of the elements used in this formula have an innate ability to lower cholesterol levels in varying degrees, while others seem to produce limited results. For instance, in some initial studies, Garlic was shown to reduce "bad" cholesterol However, when you study the research in its entirety, the results are inconclusive; although it is hard to dismiss the initial studies. There may be many reasons for these discrepancies. For instance, it may be the type of Garlic or the preparation methods used. Regardless of the reasons, these discrepancies do exist, and while Garlic may have some really heart friendly benefits, its ability to lower cholesterol remains in question.

Red Yeast Rice, on the other hand, has shown some really good results when it comes to lowering cholesterol, perhaps not as good as the results associated with Plant Sterols, but good nonetheless. As its name suggests, Red Yeast Rice has been fermented by Red Yeast. It has been used for generations by the Chinese as a preservative for food, as well as being a foodstuff, food colorant, a spice and an ingredient in rice wine.

Red Yeast Rice contains a noteworthy quantity of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor - Lovastatin, which is also called Mevinolin, a naturally-occurring statin. There is some strong scientific evidence which supports its use as a cholesterol-lowering agent. However, it is important to note that not all products that contain Red Yeast Rice contain the same amounts of the cholesterol-lowering ingredients.

In fact, some Red Yeast Rice products may have little or no cholesterol-lowering effects. For this reason, we believe it is important to look for a product that strictly adheres to quality control and standardization practices. We do not see any information on this site which verifies the effectiveness of the procedures used to create the Red Yeast Rice used in this product.

At time of review, this retailer site does not provide testimonials for this product, which is always a bit of a red flag for us. Testimonials provide people with a way to gather information about a product directly from those who have tried it. Due to this failure, we visited some consumer-driven sites to see what people who have tried Cholestar had to say. In general, the results are mixed, which we feel is not an unexpected development, given the rather mixed nature of this product’s formulary. The fact that it uses some potentially ineffective elements, mixed with effective cholesterol-lowering agents, may significant impact its ability to produce results.

• Contains Red Yeast Rice

• Does not contain Plant Sterols
• As of review, no research or testimonials posted

At time of review, there is a rather limited amount of information posted on this retailer site for Cholestar. This development is not specific to this site; many of the sites that sell Cholestar fail to post in-depth information as well, which we find troubling. When it comes to holistic cholesterol-lowering products, we suggest people look for products that provide them with detailed and in-depth information about their products. We feel the fact that there is so little information currently available about Cholestar does not bode well for its efficacy, which is borne out by the reviews written on some consumer-driven sites.

High cholesterol is a serious issue, one that should be addressed in a direct and focused manner. It has been our experience that the most results-oriented products provide detailed information about their products, which includes research, testimonials and ingredient descriptions.