Herbs That Help Shed Pounds

There are herbs you can add to your diet as supplements, teas, and foods that will help your weight loss program go smoothly. Besides, there are several herbs which contain sympathomimetics and xanthine compounds synergistically increase the body's basal metabolic rate to increase the burning of calories and fat, act as mild stimulants, and suppress the appetite.

The action of certain herbs "trick" the brain into thinking the stomach is full.

Herbs that cause weight loss can be classified as:
1. Stimulants: encourage the body to burn more calories.
2. Diuretics: cause the body to excrete water through excess urine.
3. Cathartics: cause evacuation of the bowels, reduce calorie consumption by impeding full digestion.
4. Appetite suppressants: reduce hunger by expanding in the stomach, altering mood, or satisfying taste.

Alfalfa

Aids digestion and acts as a diuretic. The active components of alfalfa include its saponin content. Studies indicate that saponins help make fats more soluable, and they may play a role in maintaining the health of blood vessels. The leaves also contain flavones, isoflavones and sterols.

Bladder Wrack Kelp 

Kelp is a type of seaweed and it can be bought in pills, tinctures, and dried. It is delicious and can be used a salt substitute, or eaten as a snack. One of the ways it works is by strengthening the thyroid, which can increase the metabolism. The other way it works is by giving your body easily absorbed nutrients which feed the body on a cellular level which reduces cravings. It is a bulk laxative.

Chickweed

In several studies it has shown its ability to break down fat molecules. It is usually recommend in combination with burdock root which helps balance oils and fats in the body; the chickweed breaks down the fat and the burdock helps transport it out of the body. As a tea, it is an effective way to curb cravings, assist digestion, and help lose weight.

Burdock

Improves fat metabolism and acts as a diuretic. Active ingredients include inulin, polyphenolic acids, and non-hydroxy acids. It is an excellent herbal blood purifier that detoxifies the blood and lymphatic system. It is high in iron, and can help build blood during times of low hemoglobin. Burdock is also considered a mild laxative. Burdock aids in the elimination of uric acid.

Burdock root can also help to reduce cravings and hunger and thus assist in weight loss. The best way to use burdock root for weight loss is as a standard decoction: Bring water to a boil, pour in about an ounce of dried burdock root, gently simmer for ten to twenty minutes, and allow to cool. Drink between meals.

Cardamom

A thermogenic herb. One of Cardamom's main uses is as a digestive aid due to its soothing and antispasmodic properties. Studies have shown it may help with any digestive condition.

Cayenne

Improves circulation and digestion. Has thermogenic effects. In one study it was shown that cayenne increased core body temperature, which in turn increased the metabolism and caused the participants to lose more weight then the group not taking cayenne.e.

Cinnamon

Creates a thermogenic burn. It reduces cholesterol levels – in particular, lowering bad cholesterol while leaving good cholesterol the same. It is cinnamon’s effect on blood sugar that makes it a potential help in the war against obesity, insulin resistance, sometimes known as "prediabetes," and the "Metabolic Syndrome." Cinnamon can be used in its powdered or stick form, adding it to drinks and foods, or as a supplement.

Dandelion Root

Aids fat metabolism by affecting the liver. By acting to remove poisons from the body, it acts as a tonic and stimulant as well.

Nettles

Nettles is high in nutrition (rich in vitamins C and E and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, silica, and potassium, which are important for healing broken bones, muscle strains, and tendon injuries.) and helps clears toxins but it also has a effect on weight loss that isn’t clearly understood, but it is believed that it helps by feeding the cells on a deeper level which reduces cravings. Nettle tea is used to curb appetite and cravings and assist in weight loss.

Fennel

A diuretic that reduces hunger and improves energy. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seed and nettle (Urtica dioica) leaves make a useful tea for weight loss. Use one teaspoon fennel seed and two teaspoons nettle leaves to three cups water. Do not exceed the recommended dose. Fennel is potentially toxic.

Prepare fennel seed tea: 4 tsp. of seeds in 2 pints of boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, keep the container covered, and allow to stand for 15 minutes, then strain. 1 cup 3 or 4 times per day, cool or heated.

Gymnema Sylvestre

It decreases sugar cravings by acting on the pancreas enabling it to maintain a steady blood sugar, which decreases cravings and hypoglycemia

Flax Seed

A bulk laxative that helps curb hunger. Loaded with vitamins and phytonutrients, it is an excellent source of protein and fiber, flaxseed is nature's gift to health! Besides stabilizing the body sugar levels, flax expands five times in bulk when ingested. Flax taken half an hour before meals will help you eat less, so you will lose weight while simultaneously strengthening your immune system.

Garcinia Cantbogia

Aids fat metabolism and reduces hunger. This herb is currently used in the United States as a component of weight loss formulas. Various species of South Asian plants of the genus Garcinia (particularly Garcinia cantbogia) have high contents of hydroxycitrate (HCA), which is the active ingredient in this and many other currently marketed weight loss products. However, it has not yet been shown, in controlled studies published in the scientific literature, to be effective in weight loss in humans.

Preliminary research suggests that garcinia inhibits the accumulation of lipid droplets in fat cells and thereby reduces lipid levels and decreases lipid accumulation in the liver. The hydroxycitrate acid (HCA) found in garcinia is also theorized to improve exercise endurance by increasing lipid oxidation and decreasing carbohydrate utilization . A dosage of, an extract containing 50% hydroxycitric acid, 1000 mg three times daily has been used for weight loss.

Green Tea

Aids fat metabolism and increases energy. Clinical studies conducted by Dr. Abdul Dulloo, of the University of Geneva in Switzerlands brought the conclusion that green tea weight loss programs raises metabolic rates and speeds up fat oxidation.

As part of their study, the investigators measured the 24-hour energy expenditure of 10 healthy men receiving three doses of caffeine (50 mg), green tea extract (containing 50 mg caffeine and 90 mg epigallocatechin), or a 'dummy' placebo per day. The study authors report that, compared with placebo, subject taking green tea extract had a "significant increase" (+4%) in daily energy expenditure.

Green tea extract may also help dieters shed fat. This effect is due to increase in energy expenditure.

Guar Gum

Helps to reduce hunger and has a laxative effect. As a weight loss product, it have been used to promote normal gastrointestinal motility and maintain fecal bulk. It has been noted to decrease appetite by providing a "feeling of fullness."

Precautions: Guar gum and guar gum preparations have been implicated in esophageal obstruction. The water-retaining capacity of the gum permits it to swell to 10 to 20 fold and has led to gastrointestinal obstructions. Guar gum has also been known to cause significant fluctuations in blood glucose (sugar) levels, thus diabetic patients should not use these preparations.

Hawthorn

Reduces blood fat and improves circulation. Hawthorn berry helps with stagnant, undigested food accumulated in the stomach, they also stimulate the adrenal glands and improve thyroid function.

Kola Nut

A stimulant that decreases appetite and aids in the metabolism of fat. Kola nuts are stimulants like caffeine. Kola nut is used extensively by natives of western and central Africa, and also in Brazil.

Parsley

A diuretic and nutritional aid. Juicing recipes with carrot or parsley juice help curb the appetite & reduce hunger cravings. Besides, Carrot or parsley juices can also help maintain proper blood sugar levels, reducing the blood sugar swing that you can experience when on a weight loss program It is one of the highest sources of life-giving chlorophyll which acts like iron to oxidize the blood. Look for healthy, dark green leaves.

Phyllium

Helps to curb hunger and allows the elimination of wastes from the body. Herbalists say that the weight-loss effect of plantain and psyllium is related to the spongy fiber (mucilage) in the seeds and to specific chemicals (polyphenols) in the leaves.

In one Italian study, scientists gave women who were seriously obese (over 60 percent over their recommended weight) three grams of plantain in water 30 minutes before meals. The plantain group lost more weight than a similar group of women who simply cut back on their diet. Recommended Dose: Take a teaspoonful of psyllium mixed well with a glass of juice or water. Take it before each meal.

Senna
An all natural laxative. It stimulates the colon, leading to the increased metabolism of fat.

Red pepper (Capsicum), Hit Mustard, and other hot spices
Scientists have found that people who took hot spicy foods (adding a teaspoon of red-pepper sauce and a teaspoon of mustard to meal) raised their metabolic rates by as much as 25 percent. The hot spice also stimulates thirst, so you drink more liquids that also helps in gaining less weight.

Citrus Aurantium

It is a commonly used Chinese herb to improve stomach and gastrointestinal function. Recent research has shown that it may be as effective as ephedra in increasing thermogenesis in the body without the side effects that often result with the use of ephedra. Thermogenesis is the process through which the body converts stored fat into energy and body heat. Increasing the thermogenic process in the body may increase weight loss. Citrus aurantium, or Zhi Shi, contains a combination of adrenergic amines. These are synephrine, N-methyltyramine, hordenine, octopamine, and tyramine. All of these substances have been shown to have powerful thermogenic properties. When this herb is used along with moderate exercise and a healthy diet, it may assist with weight loss.

Instead of just using dried, capsulated, herbal products, start including *whole* herbs in your life. Eat them everyday, as fresh as possible, (e.g. take walks, check out the vegetable stand, or tend a garden), everyday. Instead of taking a capsule, eat a handful of fresh parsley. Experiment with tasting each of your favorite culinary herbs made up as "diet" tea. Collect dandelion leaves, plantain, mints, lettuce, whatever, and whip it up in your blender as special diet "green drink." Almost no calories in most herbs. Eating and living with herbs can bring you a lifestyle which may be more conducive to weight loss.

Herbs can be used to assist in the weight loss process, while they may not be enough on their own, when used in combination with dietary changes and mild exercise can make most weight loss attempts very successful.

NOTE: Before attempting to loose weight, be sure you know why you have a problem, and then choose the herbs according to your personal condition and needs