Commiphora mukul (Guggul): For thousands of years, the resinous gum extracted from Commiphora mukul or the guggul tree is used in the Indian subcontinent for managing hypercholesterolemia and obesity. Guggul owes its therapeutic property to guggulsterone, a plant sterol. Guggulsterone helps to eliminate bile acids and cholesterol from the body. (Deng R. “Therapeutic effects of guggul and its constituent guggulsterone: cardiovascular benefits.” Cardiovasc Drug Rev. 2007 Winter; 25(4):375-90). The hypolipidemic effect of Commiphora mukul might help to get rid of the excess fats from the body even after consuming a fat rich diet. Studies suggest that guggulsterone could inhibit development of fat cells or adipogenesis. It even helps to break down the fat cells. (Rayalam S, Yang JY, Della-Fera MA, Park HJ, Ambati S, Baile CA. “Anti-obesity effects of xanthohumol plus guggulsterone in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.” J Med Food. 2009 Aug; 12(4):846-53).

Poor thyroid function stimulates accumulation of fats in the body by slowing down the metabolism rate. Obesity is a common symptom of hypothyroidism. Commiphora mukul could help to manage obesity owing to poor thyroid function. It enables the thyroid gland to use iodine to enhance its activities. (Tripathi YB, Malhotra OP, Tripathi SN. “Thyroid Stimulating Action of Z-Guggulsterone Obtained from Commiphora mukul.” Planta Med. 1984 Feb;50(1):78-80).

Trikatu: Recent studies suggest that microbiotal changes in the gut might cause obesity. Obesity might be triggered by reduction in ability to regulate fat consumption. (Tilg H, Kaser A. “Gut microbiome, obesity, and metabolic dysfunction.” J Clin Invest. 2011 Jun 1;121(6):2126-32. Stewart JE, Feinle-Bisset C, Keast RS. “Fatty acid detection during food consumption and digestion: Associations with ingestive behavior and obesity.” Prog Lipid Res. 2011 Jul;50(3):225-3 ). Hence, a healthy gastrointestinal tract might prevent abnormal weight gain. Trikatu is a traditional Ayurvedic preparation that acts as a powerful digestion aid. It contains ginger, Piper nigrum and Piper longum. By improving digestion, Trikatu enables the gut to maintain its normal functions.

Trikatu also acts on the lipids. It could reduce the triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels. It could even negate the adverse effect of a high fat diet. (Sivakumar V, Sivakumar S. “Effect of an indigenous herbal compound preparation ‘Trikatu’ on the lipid profiles of atherogenic diet and standard diet fed Rattus norvegicus.” Phytother Res. 2004 Dec;18(12):976-84).

Individual components in Trikatu possess powerful anti-obesity properties. Ginger could cause significant reduction in body weight, lipid and glucose levels. (Goyal RK, Kadnur SV. “Beneficial effects of Zingiber officinale on goldthioglucose induced obesity.” Fitoterapia. 2006 Apr;77(3):160-3). Studies have revealed that Piper nigrum and Piper longum contain compounds that can obstruct activities of enzymes that catalyze synthesis of triglycerides and aid formation of fat tissues. (Lee SW, Rho MC, Park HR, Choi JG, Kang JY, Lee JW, Kim K, Lee HS, Kim YK. “Inhibition of diacylglycerol acyltransferase by alkamides isolated from the fruits of Piper longum and Piper nigrum.” J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Dec 27;54(26):9759-63).

Triphala: Triphala is an ancient Ayruvedic preparation that is primarily used for improving digestion. It contains Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellerica and Embelica officinalis. Studies indicate that the Ayurvedic formulation helps to reduce total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and very low-density lipoprotein. (Saravanan S, Srikumar R, Manikandan S, Jeya Parthasarathy N, Sheela Devi R. “Hypolipidemic effect of triphala in experimentally induced hypercholesteremic rats.” Yakugaku Zasshi. 2007 Feb;127(2):385-8).

Yavakshara (Hordeum vulgare ash): Yavakshara is an Ayurvedic preparation prepared with Hordeum vulgare or barley. It is widely used in Ayurveda for manging kidney stones and urinary problems. The soluble fibers in whole grain products such as barley help to ease bowel movement, which eventually aids elimination of fats from the digestive tract. Daily intake of barley reduces lipid absorption in the gut by shortening the gut transit time or the time taken by the ingested substances to move through the digestive tract. Studies have revealed that barley intake is associated with lower levels of low-density lipoprotein and triglycerides and higher levels of high-density lipoprotein. In obese individuals, it can prevent cardiovascular problems. (Son BK, Kin JY, Lee SS. “Effect of adlay, buckwheat and barley on lipid metabolism and aorta histopathology in rats fed an obesogenic diet.” Ann Nutr Metab. 2008;52(3):181-7). In addition, barley could increase sensitivity to insulin and reduce the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Scientists have found that barley could significantly reduce body weight. (Choi JS, Kim H, Jung MH, Hong S, Song J. “Consumption of barley beta-glucan ameliorates fatty liver and insulin resistance in mice fed a high-fat diet.” Mol Nutr Food Res. 2010 Jul;54(7):1004-13).

Acacia catechu (Khadir): The anti-obesity effect of the phytochemical Acacia polyphenol, present in the Acacia species, has been demonstrated in experimental studies. It lowers the body weight, inhibits fat synthesis and prevents fat absorption in the liver. (Ikarashi N, Toda T, Okaniwa T, Ito K, Ochiai W, Sugiyama K. “Anti-Obesity and Anti-Diabetic Effect of Acacia Polyphenol In Obese Diabetic KKAy Mice Fed High-Fat Diet.” Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011;2011:952031).

Shilajit (Asphaltum): Shilajit is pale brown to blackish brown substance extracted from the mountain rocks. It is largely found in the Himalayas and Hindukush mountains. Shilajit is a mixture of organic substances and minerals. It is used in traditional medicine as an adaptogen and rejuvenating tonic. (Agarwal SP, Khanna R, Karmarmar R, Anwer MK, Khar RK. “Shilajit: a review.” Phytother Res. 2007 May;21(5):401-5). Shilajit helps to improve the exercising capacity, which would enable overweight or obese individuals to burn the excess fat by increasing the duration and frequency of workouts. (Bucci LR. “Selected herbals and human exercise performance.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Aug;72(2 Suppl):624S-36S).