Mixed
Herbal medicine interventions for obesity exhibit pleiotropic mechanisms, including thermogenesis, inhibition of pancreatic lipase, reduced food intake, and increased lipolysis, mediated by secondary metabolites like flavonoids and saponins.
Herbal medicines for obesity work through multiple pathways, such as boosting metabolism (thermogenesis), blocking fat absorption (lipase inhibition), and reducing appetite. They are not single-target drugs but complex mixtures that may offer a safer profile than prescription weight-loss drugs, though they still require careful monitoring.
Among the potential anti-obesity benefits that may be offered by herbal medicine include mechanisms like thermogenesis, inhibiting pancreatic lipase activity, reducing food intake and increasing lipolysis. Secondary metabolites commonly found in medicinal plants, such as flavonoids and saponins, can trigger physiological changes (i.e. upregulating glutathione and superoxide dismutase production and inhibiting cell growth), offering potential therapeutic benefits for metabolic disorders and obesity treatment.
Why this rating
The paper is a scoping review of 99 RCTs, providing broad methodological insight but not a single high-fidelity efficacy trial.
Source
Methodological insights into intervention and outcomes in randomised controlled trials of herbal medicine for obesity: a scoping review
Janice Sue Wen Chan et al. · Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease · 2025
DOI 10.1177/20406223241310206
Related findings · Mixed
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