Abstract

TREATMENT OF OBESITY: AN HERBAL APPROACH

Amanpreet Kaur, Deepanshu Aggarwal, Amit Goyal*, Anjoo Kamboj, Upendra K. Jain

Abstract

Obesity, a complex interplay between environmental and genetic factors and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Usage of herbs for the management of obesity in the recent times is attracting attention. Dietary fat is associated with well-known diseases like diabetes, hypertension and cardio-vascular diseases. Weight management means lifestyle modification, behavioral therapy, pharmacotherapy and surgery. Retardation of nutrient absorption and digestion may be used as an approach to manage obesity and related diseases. Drugs have wide ranging side effects and contraindication for its widespread use. So, herbal drugs are a promising route to treat obesity as it is a disease. Many herbal plants like Nelumbo nucifera, Aloe barbadensis, Foeniculum vulgare, Holoptelea intergrifolis, Myristica fragrans has constituents that are used to treat obesity. Our literature survey also indicated that these herbal products fall under an acceptable level of evidence or with no scientific background at all, or they have a scientific rational but not to an acceptance level. Attempts were made in the review to define the features of possible herbal weight loss product. An ideal herbal anti-obesity product should reduce the weight by 10% over placebo of treatment by showing an evidence of improvement of bio markers like blood pressure, lipids and glycemia without any side effects.

Keywords: Morbidity; Obesity; Medicinal Plants; Herbal Products; Weight Management; Herbal drugs.