Losing Weight With Herbal Weight Loss Supplements

Methods of Losing Weight

The weight loss industry is a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States.  Products range from special diet formulas, herbal weight loss supplements, exercise regimes: the list goes on and on.  One of the facts of the weight loss industry, however, is that these weight loss regimes often do not work (although they often do work as well).

The Basis of Herbal Weight Loss Supplements

Herbal weight loss supplements work in two basic ways to help induce weight loss.  On the one hand they work to curb appetite so that we do not feel the urge to eat as often.  On the other hand they work as “fat burners,” that is they increase metabolism in the body so that we can burn off the calories that we intake more quickly and more efficiently.

Secondly, it has also been shown that it can be difficult for us to get all of the vitamins and minerals that we need when dieting to lose weight.  Herbal weight loss supplements also seek to give us these essential nutrients while we are in the process of losing weight, so as to maintain our overall health while seeking to shed the fat.

Herbs Used In Herbal Weight Loss Supplements

There are a number of herbs that are popular when it comes to herbal weight loss supplements.  These herbs include guarana, St. John's Wort and Senna.  Cayenne, garlic and also green tea are also often touted as herbal weight loss aids.

For a long time one of the most commonly touted herbal weight loss supplements was ephedra, also known as ma huang.  In fact it is still possible to find outdated information touting ephedra as an effective weight loss aid.  However, ephedra has been shown to lead to cardiovascular problems and is in fact directly responsible for at least two deaths.  Ephedra has been banned in the United States since 2003.

The herbs utilized in herbal weight loss supplements all work either to reduce appetite, increase metabolism or to produce both effects.  While medical science still has not come to a conclusion on the effectiveness of all of these herbal remedies, some have been shown to have positive effects.  Green tea and green tea extracts, for example, do work to increase metabolism.  Cayenne has been shown to be an effective appetite suppressant. 

Guarana is an herb that is often found in herbal weight loss supplements.  It contains guaranine, which is similar in effect to caffeine.  Guarana curbs appetite and some clinical studies have shown weight loss benefits from taking it.  Guaranine, like caffeine, increases metabolic rates and thus leads to the more efficient burning of calories in the body.

Most herbal weight loss supplements will contain various combinations of these herbs in order to produce the optimum effect in your weight loss.