If you want to lose weight with herbs and herbal supplements, consider reading this review of most popular natural herbs used to lose weight.

Hoodia gordonii (Hoodia gordonii)
This medicinal herb is a succulent from the deserts of southern Africa. The San Bushmen have traditionally used this plant which they called Xhoba as an appetite suppressant when on long journeys. Hoodia has become the number one herb for appetite suppression in the United States. The active constituent in this herb is called P57, while there are many varieties of Hoodia, only Hoodia gordonii has P57. The exact biological pathway that P57 works on it still being understood, however, what is known about this steroidal glycoside is that it works on the brain to suppress apetite. Hoodia also enhances weight loss by lowering blood glucose, which lowers the insulin circulating in the blood, which in turn reduces fat storage. Hoodia has not shown to have significant side effects and looks set to become a major treatment in weight control.

Bitter Orange (Citrus aurantium)
This herb for weight loss works in much the same manner as ephedra, both contain beta antagonists which are known to cause body fat loss also to increase metabolism in those who are combining exercise and dietary measures to lose weight. Specific studies investigating the herb bitter orange are to date fairly small and not yet conclusive regarding the benefit of this herbal medicine for weight loss. Bitter orange should be used with caution if you have heart disease or high blood pressure. The rind of the immature fruit is also used in Chinese Medicine to aid digestion, it is known as Zhi Quao or Zhi Shi.

Cayenne (Capsicum minimum, Capsicum annuum, C. frutescens)
Reputed to aid weight loss based on the principle of the heat of the plant matter.

Coleus (Coleus forskohlii)
Coleus works to assist weight loss by breaking down fat deposits and preventing production of adipose tissue. Coleus also mildly stimulates the metabolism by increasing thyroid function. A diterpenoid called forskolin is the active constituent of this herb and is the only plant derived compound known to directly stimulate the enzyme, adenlylate cyclase, and in turn, stimulates cellular cyclic AMP which boosts metabolism to assist weight loss.

Ephedra (Ma huang) (Ephedra sinica)
Clinical trials have shown benefit in weight loss but there are major safety concerns with this herb.

Green Tea (Camellia sinensis)
Green Tea contains caffeine and is reputed to aid weight loss amongst other health claims. It is also a rich source of antioxidants.

Guarana ( Paullinia cupana)
Has a reputation to aid weight loss via increased metabolism. It is thought to work in a similar way to caffeine.

Garcina Cambogia (Garcina cambogia)
This popular weight loss herb has been traditionally used in South East Asia to make meals more filling. Its active constituent is called hydroxycitric acid (HCA) Its role as a herb for weight loss is that it suppresses appetite and reduces the body’s ability to form adipose(fatty) tissue due to overeating. It is thought Garcinia’s weight loss action works by inhibiting the body’s ability to convert carbohydrates to fats. This same mechanism floods the liver with glycogen which leads the brain to respond by suppressing appetite. Another significant study, using an animal model, found that during exercise the regular use of HCA promotes fat burning. Contra indications for garcina cambogia are: pregnancy, diabetes and people with dementia syndromes. This herb does interact with some prescription medicines and this should be discussed with your health care practitioner before use.

Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis)
Yerba Mate herb is from Paraguay, South America reputed to increase metabolism.

Spirulina (Blue-Green Algae)
Spirulina is thought to be useful in weight-control diets because its high nutritional value helps to satisfy hunger.

Recommended Herbal Weight Loss Products:
The following products are the best herbal weight loss products available in the market and have been proven to help you losing weight: Hoodia Gordonii Plus, Acai Berry, Resveratrol Select, Caralluma Burn.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, is a renowned doctor of cardiology and professor, who has authored over 400 publications including medical books and book chapters, in additional to several patents. Most people know him as the Dr. Oz that is frequently on the Oprah show giving advice on overall health, cardio wellness and of course, weight loss.

The Dr Oz Weight Loss Diet uses principles of his books in the “You” series, which he works closely with Dr. Michael Roizen, on. In addition, he also is an avid supporter of colon health and the digestive system, as maintaining good health, and proper weight balance. While his diet focuses on healthy lifestyle habits, instead of fad diet techniques, he also advocates drinking natural, healthy, metabolism boosting products for fat burning and nutrition, such as acai berry products, among others.

The Dr. Oz diet has certain guidelines, which are based more on waistline inches than actual body weight. According to Dr. Oz, the waist circumference is a good indicator of fat tissue, which is a risk factor for health risks such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Ideally, the waist of a 30 year old female should be 32 ½ inches and a 30 year old male should be 35 inches.

Some of his key diet strategies are to start by measuring your waist, and plan to cut 2 inches from that size in the first two weeks, as a realistic goal. Using Acai berry products is part of a plan to help you increase your metabolism. The Acai berry has been deemed the world’s newest “super food”, for the high nutritional content, and the full feeling it gives you while boosting energy levels, and keeping your appetite in check.

Dr Oz Weight Loss Diet has featured this on the Oprah show, and said that health freaks have known this secret for years. He uses and recommends Acai berry for good health, and it also helps boost the immune system, in addition to boosting metabolism in a weight loss diet.

Dr. Oz diet also allows you to eat all food groups, but mainly stock your kitchen with healthy foods and cut calorie intake by 100 calories a day to lose a pound a month. Also, he encourages that you eat when you are hungry, but reduce portion sizes by using smaller plates.

You should avoid Trans fat and saturated fats, at all costs, and also encourages that you avoid white foods which are high carbohydrate and turn to sugar, then fat which is stored.

Besides drinking Acai berry products, he says you should drink one or two glasses of water before a meal so that your stomach is fuller on fewer calories. He encourages taking a multi-vitamin to make up for any nutrients you are not eating. However, if you eat the recommended nine handfuls of fruit and vegetables per day, along with eating a small handful of nuts per day, you will be getting a good balance, especially with the high nutrients in the Acai berry products.

In addition, the diet calls for eating fish at least three times a week. Salmon, mahi mahi and flounder are favored since they are low fat, and high in protein and Omega fatty acids. It wouldn’t be considered a “heart-friendly” diet if it recommended red meat all of the time, because of higher fat content.

Dr Oz Weight Loss Diet Review
Dr. Oz recommends colon cleansing as important for overall health because it helps eliminate waste, bad bacteria and toxins that build up. Eating high fiber foods can help achieve this through natural colon cleansing, although he also advocates many of the colon cleansing products on the market.

The Dr Oz diet is not a quick weight loss diet, but more about a healthy lifestyle. By eating the right foods, taking high nutrition supplements such as the Acai berry products along with high fiber foods, and do some regular exercises, you can lose weight in a safe and natural way. Of course, there is the last part of the Dr. Oz diet that helps tone and increase cardio health, and that is walking 30 minutes per day, regardless.

The Dr. Oz diet is recognized as one of the healthiest, safest and most nutritional ways to lose weight. It involves a common sense about what foods you eat, and involves very little in the way of additional aids, other than Acai berry products and colon cleansers. You will feel healthier and will lose the fat around the waistline before you know it!