Policosanol is a substance derived from Cuban sugar cane that is sold as a nonprescription agent to lower blood lipids or cholesterol. It is advertised to be a “natural substance” and to be as “effective as a statin drug” in lowering cholesterol. To test this claim, 143 patients with high cholesterol were randomly divided into 5 groups; 4 taking increasingly higher doses of policosanol and 1 group taking a placebo. After 12 weeks of trial the authors tested blood lipids again. They found no evidence that this substance had any beneficial effects on blood fat or cholesterol levels.

Source: JAMA (May 2006), 295:2262-69.