In
ancient Greece during times of fasting or famine, people kept seeds of fennel
handy to chew as an appetite suppressant. For those who were wealthy and weighty
due to over-indulgence in food, fennel tea may also have been used as a
treatment for obesity (its Greek name comes from the word maraino, which means
“to become thin”).

The Greeks understood well that plant extracts can
support the body in maintaining a healthy weight and appetite — a wisdom largely
lost in our modern world. There is no single herb or even combination of herbs that will magically melt
excess kilos. Instead herbal teas, supplements, tonics or tinctures may help to
address issues such as 3pm sugar binges or 6am exercise blahs that compromise
weight loss.

If you’ve been struggling with weight loss, you may want to
consider some of the following herbal remedies to assist you and make your diet
and exercise approach much more effective.

It’s important to keep in mind
that herbal medicines will normalize your appetite, not suppress it and allow
you to skip meals. Any weight loss achieved by skipping meals will damage your
metabolism and you’ll regain the lost weight plus more as soon as you start to
eat again. By stabilizing your appetite and reducing food cravings, the
following herbs will help you to regain control over both serving size and the
type of food you eat. This will ensure sustained and permanent weight loss
without damaging your metabolism.

Gymnema sylvestre (gymnema) acts like a
natural force field against sugar, aiding weight loss. Taken in a tincture or
tea, it will inhibit your ability to taste anything sweet for up to two hours.
If sugar cravings are your biggest weight issue, swish some gymnema tincture
around your mouth then chew on some sugar — it will feel like you’re eating
sand, so effective is gymnema’s ability to neutralize your sweet taste
receptors. Gymnema tincture taken every few hours can help to rapidly curb
comfort eating — there’s no comfort or enjoyment to be had eating cakes and
biscuits that taste like cardboard, assisting weight loss.

Hoodia
gordonii is native to the Kalahari Desert region of southern Africa and is
currently the latest “it” herb for weight loss. Despite a lack of human clinical
trials, hoodia has a long history of use throughout South Africa. Keep in mind,
though, that hoodia’s traditional use by Kalahari Bushmen was limited to
occasional use in order to keep appetite and thirst at bay in the desert, not
long-term use for weight loss.

Sadly, trade in hoodia as an appetite
suppressant for weight loss is threatening the plant’s survival in the wild. To
ensure the herb’s long-term survival, the plant is listed on the treaty for the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES). Australia is a party to CITES and regulates imports of
hoodia-containing products through a permit system. If you plan to purchase any
such products over the internet, check out whether you need a permit first,
otherwise your goods may be seized by customs.

Psyllium hulls contain a
soluble fibre that absorbs water, swelling in your stomach to help you feel
full. If you’ve been over-eating for a period of time, your stomach, a stretchy
muscular bag, may have adjusted to the increased amount of food. This may mean
it’s slower in sending “I’ve had enough” signals to your brain to let you know
you’re sated.