Aromatic and medicinal plants

This book describes the botanical sources available for the treatment of obesity and attempts to explain how these medicinal plants work to induce weight loss or control and/or prevent weight gain and improve lipid profile. In addition, careful consideration and testing are required to adopt the safest and most effective strategies and approaches. Basic mechanisms including stimulation of thermogenesis, lowering lipogenesis, enhancing lipolysis, suppressing appetite and decreasing lipid absorption may work. The use of standardized medicinal plants in the form of functional foods or food supplements in the field of phytotherapy, in parallel with a healthy and balanced diet, can be a good alternative for the prevention and/or effective treatment of obesity and its associated metabolic disturbances.