8 Herbal Supplements for Weight Loss

Some things in life come easily — like gaining unwanted pounds, for some folks. Shedding the excess weight often proves more challenging. Fortunately, Mother Nature provides natural supplements if you know where to look. Certain plants help suppress your appetite, increase energy and control your blood sugar. Here are eight of the best herbal supplements for weight loss. 

1. Green Tea Extract 

Green tea contains caffeine, which helps in weight loss. However, coffee has much more — wouldn’t java be a better choice? Not necessarily. When taken in excess, caffeine can cause nervousness, jitters, elevated heart rate and trouble sleeping. You need your beauty rest to curb cravings and shed unwanted pounds. 

Green tea is superior because it contains L-theanine, an amino acid that helps you manage stress and anxiety. This matters for two reasons: you experience less shakiness and lower your cortisol levels. 

Cortisol is a stress hormone that picks up where adrenaline wears off, preparing your body for a long onslaught of stressful conditions. However, it often makes you crave fatty, sugary, high-calorie foods — opposing your weight loss goals. 

Therefore, sip away on green tea. You’ll get a mild increase in calorie burn from the caffeine and mitigate the stress that can complicate your weight loss efforts. 

2. Damiana 

Damiana is a wonder herb, especially if you’re perimenopausal or menopausal. Why? In addition to its weight loss benefits, it also boosts your libido, which can flag as your hormonal levels shift. It also increases your energy and lust for life, giving extra oomph to your efforts. 

Research shows that a blend of damiana, yerba mate and guarana slowed gastric emptying by 15% to 58%, resulting in substantial weight loss without any change in diet. Scientists are currently investigating whether a supplement containing these herbs and 12 others will accelerate weight loss efforts. In the meantime, you can experiment by adding a few drops of this herbal extract to your morning tea. 

3. Ashwagandha 

Ashwagandha is an adaptogen, meaning it helps your body fight the effects of oxidative stress. This condition results from exposure to environmental pollutants and day-to-day tensions, causing cellular damage and death by stealing needed electrons. 

Adaptogens fight damaging free radicals, whisking them from your body before they can cause harm. Use this herb in conjunction with others on this list to accelerate its effects. 

4. Cinnamon 

Cinnamon is a delicious addition to your morning coffee or tea, although you can also sprinkle it on toast or even your breakfast cereal. It’s a boon for weight loss because it helps control your blood sugar. 

Millions of Americans live with insulin resistance and prediabetes, which frustrate your weight loss efforts by causing severe blood sugar fluctuations and resulting cravings. Cinnamon helps fight this effect. One study showed a 24% improvement in blood glucose and an 18% reduction in cholesterol levels after participants ate one to six grams of the herb for 40 days.  

5. Ginger

Ginger’s another great morning pick-me-up, adding a lovely chai flavor to tea or coffee — add it right to your grounds. This root herb has a long history in Ayurvedic medicine for busting unwanted bloat and gas and it’s one of the principal ingredients in trikatu, a remedy scientists are currently investigating as a complementary COVID-19 therapy. 

This herb speeds up the movement of food through your digestive tract. However, it doesn’t relax your stomach muscles like mint, making it safe for people with GERD. Some folks with that disorder find that mint also relaxes the sphincter leading from their esophagus to their stomach, worsening acid reflux. 

6. Ginseng 

Ginseng is well-known for reducing stress and improving mental clarity. Perhaps it will make you think twice before ordering that flourless chocolate cake for dessert. 

Some research suggests it may also speed weight loss efforts. Your intestinal microbiota plays a role in managing cravings. One study showed that women taking the supplement shed pounds and experienced a change in their gut flora after taking the Korean variety of the herb for eight weeks. 

7. Oregano 

Oregano contains carvacrol, a potent antioxidant. Some research suggests that supplementing with this extract may alter how your body stores fat, resulting in weight loss. 

It’s wise to keep oregano oil on hand for disinfecting minor wounds — it’s powerful enough to kill MRSA. While you should never take essential oils internally, you can sprinkle the raw herb as liberally as you like. Who doesn’t need an excuse to eat a slice of pizza while you diet? 

8. Caralluma 

Caralluma Fimbriata is an edible cactus native to India. It’s enjoyed long use in this culture as an appetite suppressant during long hunts. 

One study investigated 85 men and women who took this supplement for 16 weeks. Those in the Caralluma group reduced their waist circumference by an average of 2.7 centimeters and reported a significant reduction in appetite. 

Herbal Supplements for Weight Loss 

Gaining weight is relatively easy for most folks. Taking it off is another story. 

Fortunately, mother nature provides help in the form of various plants. Try these eight herbal supplements for weight loss and shed those unwanted pounds in time for summer.