- Effect on the body
- List
- Contraindications
- Usage rules
- Recipes
The reasons for gaining extra weight are different for each person: stress, low mobility, genetic predisposition, postpartum period, age… The list can be endless. Each of these factors requires an individual approach. If you understand that your problem lies exclusively in excessive overeating, and you cannot handle it on your own, then there is a solution to this situation. You can try to start drinking herbs that suppress appetite, bringing a feeling of fast and long-lasting fullness. This will help you avoid self-flagellation for eating an extra muffin, while plant products will only have a beneficial effect on your body.
Effect on the body
Recently, herbs with similar effects have become a worthy alternative to medications for weight loss. Some of them achieve results by removing excess fluid (diuretics), others — with the help of intensive burning of fat cells (lipolytics), and still others — due to appetite control (anorectics). The latter ones, according to the opinion of physicians and nutritionists, are considered the safest for health, as they have a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract. It is common to classify them as follows.
- Mucous-forming (coating)
Getting into the stomach, such herbs envelop its walls with special mucus. For some time, it becomes a barrier shield that repels gastric juice. However, it is gastric juice that provokes the feeling of hunger. If it is blocked, the brain does not receive the hunger impulse. Accordingly, even if it is lunchtime, you will not eat a large portion. Thus, you will consume fewer calories. As a result – weight loss.
- Bulking
These herbs to suppress appetite are real pro deceivers. They tend to swell under the influence of liquid, thereby convincing the body that the stomach is full. Accordingly, you will not be able to eat a lot. If you adhere to the principles of proper fractional nutrition after a course of herbal treatment, the weight will not return. You will simply get used to eating small portions.
- Acidity-reducing
Their effect is also related to blocking gastric juice. However, they differ from the first group in that they do not create a barrier in the form of a mucous membrane. These plants act directly on hydrochloric acid, reducing its concentration. If there is no acid — there is no appetite. However, such substances can seriously disrupt the gastrointestinal tract if used for a long time.
- Sedative
It is no secret that appetite often arises during periods of anxiety and stress. To reduce it, you need to calm down. This is not always possible to do on your own. However, herbs with an antidepressant effect are a way out of this situation. In medicine, this is called “compulsive overeating”, while in everyday life it is “psychological hunger”.
- Tonic
Many of us do not perceive these plants as medicinal, although they can be found in almost every home. We are used to them as ordinary invigorating drinks. In fact, they not only invigorate — they primarily suppress appetite. Most teas contain substances that contribute to this: caffeine, theobromine, theophylline. Do not forget about their diuretic effect.
- Sugar-reducing
Herbs that can lower blood sugar levels primarily affect metabolic processes in the body. They contain inulin, which is known to many as a sugar substitute and a plant polysaccharide. It slows down the absorption of fats and easily digestible carbohydrates in the intestines and reduces the glycemic index of foods. All this naturally suppresses cravings for sweets and appetite.
You can choose herbs from any group for weight loss, based on their effect on the body. All of them are aimed at reducing appetite and satisfying the most severe feeling of hunger.
Life hack. If you often feel hungry between meals, always have flax seeds soaked in cold water on hand (they have an enveloping effect on the stomach). As soon as you feel hungry — take a small handful and start chewing slowly. You will see — your appetite will decrease in no time.
List
In order to buy medicinal herbs for appetite suppression at a pharmacy, you need to know which ones are the most effective, since more than 70 plants have a similar effect on the body. Some of them are presented in our list.
Mucous-forming:
- aloe;
- marshmallow (root);
- fireweed;
- flax (seed);
- linden (flower);
- coltsfoot (root).
Bulking:
- nettle;
- kelp;
- oat;
- wheat;
- cystoseira;
- sage.
Acidity-reducing:
- wood betony;
- heather;
- St. John’s wort;
- linden (flower);
- mint (leaf);
- fennel (fruit).
Sedative:
- valerian;
- oregano;
- fireweed;
- linden (flower);
- mint;
- motherwort;
- chamomile.
Tonic herbs:
- ginger (root);
- mate;
- puer;
- chicory;
- green tea.
Sugar-reducing:
- birch (bud);
- immortelle;
- hawthorn;
- blackberry;
- St. John’s wort;
- strawberry (leaf);
- clover;
- nettle;
- corn stigmas;
- burdock (root);
- plantain;
- wormwood;
- lilac (bud);
- currant;
- chicory;
- blueberry (leaf).
You can use either one plant or a whole phyto-gathering. The main thing is to observe the proportions when mixing them together. Sometimes, they can be sold in a pharmacy already mixed. If you have the opportunity to collect raw materials yourself — nothing prevents you from doing it. You just need to figure out where, for example, field horsetail is, where it is large, and where it is forest, because each of them will differ in specific properties.
Attention. If you can’t stop eating large amounts of food, try starting your meal with a kelp salad. Although it is seaweed, it is also a kind of herb. Having bulking properties, it almost leaves no room in the stomach for other dishes.
Contraindications
If you decide to use herbs to suppress appetite, which contribute to weight loss, you need to get a doctor’s approval. Despite the fact that many sources claim that they are absolutely safe for health, it is no secret that each plant has a complex effect on the body. For example, there is no plant that only stops blood. In addition to this effect, it will also have anti-inflammatory, expectorant, or diuretic properties, etc.
There are several absolute contraindications for the active use of herbs to suppress appetite:
- pregnancy;
- breastfeeding;
