Potential of Traditional Medicinal Plants for Treating Obesity: A Review

TL;DR

This review explores the potential of traditional medicinal plants as a safer, plant-based alternative for obesity treatment, highlighting mechanisms like thermogenesis and appetite suppression based on studies from 1991 to 2012.

Contribution

It compiles and analyzes existing research on botanical sources for obesity, explaining their mechanisms and evaluating safety and efficacy compared to conventional treatments.

Findings

Medicinal plants may stimulate thermogenesis and suppress appetite.

Standardized plant extracts could be a safe obesity treatment.

Some plant combinations may reduce efficacy or cause side effects.

Abstract

Obesity is a global health concern associated with high morbidity and mortality. Therapeutic strategies include synthetic drugs and surgery, which may entail high costs and serious complications. Plant-based medicinal agents offer an alternative approach. A review of the studies on accessible botanical sources for the treatment of obesity is provided, which attempts to explain how these medicinal plants act to cause weight loss, and which approach is safer and more efficient. Information was gathered for the period of 1991 to 2012. Five basic mechanisms, including stimulating thermogenesis, lowering lipogenesis, enhancing lipolysis, suppressing appetite, and decreasing the absorption of lipids may be operating. Consumption of standardized medicinal plant extracts may be a safe treatment for obesity. However, some combinations of medicinal plants may result in either lower efficacy or cause unexpected side-effects.