Healing Herbs For Weight Loss

Being overweight can affect more than appearance. Excess weight can be a metabolic disorder and a risk factor for serious problems including cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Diets may work in the short term, but can carry health risks, and many people eventually regain the weight. Making healing herbs part of a daily routine may be a good way to lose weight and keep it off. Always consult your doctor before starting herbal therapy for weight loss. Some herbal remedies can interact with needed medicines.

Mulberry

Mulberry, or Morus bombycis, is a deciduous tree with edible fruit native to Asia. The plant is said to affect metabolism, and traditional healers use the leaves and roots to treat metabolic disorders such as diabetes and high cholesterol. A study by Y.S. Kim and colleagues published in the August 2010 issue of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology tested a root extract in vitro. The study found that mulberry had a strong inhibitory effect on lipase, an enzyme involved in the absorption of triglycerides, fats and oils and the primary source of excess calories. The researchers also found that mulberry was as effective as orlistat, a diet drug that prevents the absorption of fats but can have mild to serious side effects. Do not take this herb during pregnancy or in combination with other diabetes, cholesterol or weight loss medicine. Do not stop diabetes or cholesterol medicine without consulting your doctor.

Green Tea

Tea, or Camellia sinensis, is a plant grown throughout South and East Asia to produce leaves that are brewed into black, green and white tea. Green tea has undergone minimal fermentation and is high in caffeine and polyphenols, the most predominant of which is epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG. The catechins have metabolic and thermogenic action, meaning they increase the body's metabolism and temperature, which promotes the oxidation, or breakdown, of fat. A study by S. Wolfram and colleagues published in the February 2006 issue of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research found that green tea is effective in weight loss and besides breaking down fat, it also works by decreasing fat absorption and inhibiting the development of fat cells. Further studies are needed to confirm these results. Green tea contains caffeine and should be used cautiously by people with heart, kidney, thyroid or anxiety disorders. Do not use in combination with blood thinning medications, or stop the medications without consulting your doctor.

Garcinia

Garcinia, or Garcinia cambogia, is a medium-size tree with a pumpkin-like fruit found in India and Southeast Asia. It is used as a food and tonic throughout the region, and traditional healers use it to treat obesity, rheumatism, bone fractures, rickets and spleen disorders. The dried fruit rind contains (--)-hydroxycitric acid, or HCA, which is the active ingredient in weight loss. A study by F. C. Lau and colleagues published in the June 2008 issue of Current Genomics looks at how nutrition and genes interact and tested the efficacy of (--)-hydroxycitric acid, or HCA, on lab animals and obese patients. For the study, researchers used a salt containing calcium, potassium and 60 percent HCA. The research found that the salt significantly reduced weight in lab animals and increased serotonin levels. In the human study, researchers found that HCA actually modulates the genes that regulate lipid and fat cell production. Dr. Linda B. White and Steven Foster state that garcinia is not a stimulant, and they recommend it for weight loss. Use only in recommended dosage. People who are pregnant, taking statins, or who have diabetes, hypoglycemia, rhabdomyolysis or Alzheimer's disease should not use garcinia.