Safety, efficacy, and mechanism of action of herbs used for obesity management: A thematic review

Abstract

Obesity is a worldwide health concern and can lead to severe health risks. Current anti-obesity drugs in the market are limited and herbal remedies could offer some relief. This review aims to identify the alternative medicinal plants used in obesity management and to review their safety, efficacy, and mechanism of action. Databases used to search for information were PubMed, National Center and Biotechnology Information (NCBI), ResearchGate, and ScienceDirect reporting from March 2011 until April 2022. The search terms used were "weight loss", "obesity", “toxicity”, “safety” and “medicinal plants”. A total of seventeen plants were identified showing weight loss and were thematically categorized under four mechanisms of action, namely, 1) inhibition of pancreatic lipase, 2) inhibition of lipogenesis and adipogenesis, 3) improved lipid profile, and 4) appetite suppressant. Some of the herbs displayed effective doses more than ten-fold of the no observed adverse effect level. Further work is needed to enrich these extracts containing the bioactive to reduce the effective dose and ensure the effect is reproducible through standardization of these bioactive for production or clinical trial. • A review of herbs on its effective and safety dose with anti-obesity and weight reduction effect. • Mechanism of action thematically categorized as inhibition of lipase, lipogenesis, improved lipid profile, and appetite suppressant. • Some of the herbs displayed effective doses of more than ten-fold of the no observed adverse effect level.