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Seven Natural Diet Herbs

Mar 2, 2011 | By Tracey Allison Planinz, PhD
Seven Natural Diet Herbs
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Retail stores and markets carry a wide range of weight loss products, many of them featuring herbs and other natural substances. While the best formula for weight loss is still following a modified diet and regular exercise program, certain supplements may help increase metabolism and burn fat naturally. Always check with your medical doctor before trying herbs or beginning a weight loss program.

Cayenne

Cayenne is a variety of chili pepper used as a spice and food. It has a pungent, spicy flavor and increases temperature in the body. Some herbalists also use cayenne to increase metabolism and aid in weight loss. A study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2006 showed that cayenne pepper, consumed on a regular basis, may be helpful in reducing body weight. Researchers found that it increases transit time for food and helps lower glycemic response, or food's ability to increase blood sugar levels.

Green Tea

Green tea is a common beverage consumed throughout China, Japan, Thailand and India. It is also revered for its many purported health benefits. Herbalists use green tea to improve heart health, aid digestion, control blood sugar and enhance mental performance. In a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition in 2007, researchers found that green tea extracts help the body metabolize fat. They concluded that green tea has the potential to increase fat oxidation and has anti-obesity effects.

Licorice

Licorice is another culinary herb which has added health benefits. Herbalists have traditionally used licorice to treat diabetes, ulcers and gastric reflux. However, studies, such as one from the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation from 2003, show that licorice also helps reduce body fat mass. Licorice can be found in herbal teas, liquid extract or tincture form. It is naturally sweet and can easily be added to hot or cold beverages.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is popular in baking as well as herbal medicine. It is both sweet and spicy, and like cayenne, is naturally warming to the body. Herbalists use cinnamon to lower blood sugar, stimulate digestion and reduce intestinal gas. In 2008 researchers from the Institute for Nutritional Sciences in China, published a study which found that cinnamon extracts lowered blood glucose and helped improved lipid, or fat, metabolism in mice. While this is only a preliminary trial, it suggests that further study is warranted to consider cinnamon in the treatment of both type II diabetes and obesity.

Hoodia

Hoodia gordonii is a succulent plant native to Namibia and the Namid Desert. tribal peoples of that region consume the leaves of the plant to reduce appetite and help sustain them during periods of drought or famine. It was only recently discovered by Westerners and research is still limited. However, Drs. MacLean and Luo from Brown Medical School in Rhode Island did find, in a 2004 study, that a chemical component of hoodia appears to control the brain's appetite response centers. More studies are needed. Hoodia may be found in some over the counter weight loss products.

Ginseng

Ginseng is an Asian herb that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. There are several varieties of ginseng, including Panax ginseng, which is also known as Asian or Korean ginseng and Siberian ginseng. It is used to strengthen the immune system, enhance mental performance, increase physical endurance and treat type II diabetes. A 2008 study published in Phytotherapy Research found that certain components of red ginseng seem to control the chemicals responsible for obesity. This was a follow up to an earlier study which found that ginseng had anti-obesity effects in laboratory rats. Ginseng is found in herbal teas and in capsule form.

Gymnena Sylvestre

Gymnema sylvestre is a flowering herb native to India. It is used by ayurvedic practitioners to treat type II diabetes, obesity and to control sugar cravings. Although it is mainly used to regulate blood sugar and help dieters overcome cravings for sweets, it is also used in combination with other herbs in natural weight loss formulas. In a 2004 study by Georgetown University Medical Center, researchers concluded that extracts of gymnema sylvestre in combination with chromium and hydroxycitric acid, derived from Garcinia cambogia, was an effective and safe weight-loss formula which can reduce excess body weight. These supplements are typically found over the counter in capsule or tablet form.

References

Article reviewed by Tracy Williams Last updated on: Mar 2, 2011

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