Policosanol is a natural supplement derived from sugar cane. It is a mixture of eight higher primary aliphatic alcohols isolated and purified from sugar cane wax. Cheap versions of policosanol that contain a high amount of octacosanol have flooded the American marketplace. If one expects to derive the benefits shown in the published studies, the other alcohols that make up the pharmaceutical approved policosanol product should be present.Policosanol promotes healthy platelet function and helps to maintain cholesterol levels that are already within the normal range. Animal and human studies have also shown that policosanol is an antioxidant. When used in long-term clinical trials, policosanol was well tolerated and safe.