Ayurveda is an ancient traditional medicine with historical roots in India. It is a Sanskrit word and consists of two words “Ayu” and “Veda” which means “Life” and “Science or Knowledge” respectively.
According to the Ayurvedic theory, human health and disease depend on the balanced and imbalanced expression of the five elements—air, space, fire, water, and earth in the human body, mind, and spirit.
These elements are further categorized as tridosha (vata, pitta, and kapha) and referred as
- vata – air and space,
- pitta – fire and water, and
- kapha – water and earth.
Ayurveda considers obesity as Sthaulya or Medoroga which is a metabolic disorder caused by lack of exercise, poor diet, stress, genetic weakness, and ultimate increase in kapha dosha. It, as a result, leads to excessive accumulation of adipose tissue, accumulation of water and earth elements in the body & mind, poor digestive fire, and accumulation of toxins in the digestive tract.
Moreover, during various experiements, Ayurvedic medicine treatments have shown a beneficial effect in promoting weight loss including vata, pitta, and kapha dosha people. [1, 2, 3]
So, in this article, we will explore what are the best ayurvedic medicine for weight loss and ayurvedic weight loss secrets.
Best Ayurvedic Medicine for Weight Loss
1. Guggul
Guggul is well-known medicine for the treatment of high levels of fats and lipoproteins in the blood. Guggulsterones are the bioactive constituent of guggul which are responsible for this effect. [4]
Guggulsterones are also responsible for appetite-regulating hormones mainly ghrelin and leptin which significantly reduce food intake. [5]
Besides, a pilot study of 30 days observed that administration with 1.5 – 3 g per day of Guggul showed a potent result to reduce weight.
2. Garcinia Indica
Garcinia Indica is also known as kokum is a small fruit like a cherry tomato that originated from the west coast of India. It is rich in hydroxycitric acid (HCA) which is responsible for inhibiting fat formation, increasing fat oxidation, decreasing food intake, and encouraging weight loss. [6]
Moreover, Garcinia Indica also contains Garcinol which shows an antioxidant effect. [7] Intake of antioxidants is beneficial in reducing body weight and several obesity-related disorders. [8]
3. Triphala
Triphala is a Sanskrit word that includes the words – “tri” and “phala” which means “three” and “fruits” respectively. It is a well-known medicine that contains an equal proportion of three plant’s dried fruit – Amalaki or the Indian Gooseberry, Bibhitaki, and Haritaki.
Triphala is beneficial in improving gastrointestinal disorders, and appetite. It also possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which are useful for weight loss. [9]
Furthermore, obesity leads to chronic oxidative stress which causes obesity-related disorders such as a rise in sugar level, elevated LDL cholesterol, vitamin and minerals deficiency etc. Dietary antioxidant supplementation has been found as an effective treatment to reduce oxidative stress, body weight, and other obesity-related disorders. [8]
Additionally, studies on humans and animals have proved that triphala is an effective medicine to help weight loss.
In a controlled trial on obese subjects when administrated with 5 g of triphala twice a day for 12 weeks showed a decrease in the waist and hip circumference.
Another study on mice for 10 weeks showed intake of triphala resulted in significant reductions in body weight, energy intake, and percentage of body fat.
4. Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is commonly known as “Indian Ginseng”. It is a very admirable herb in Indian Ayurvedic medicine for its various health benefits including weight loss.
In a clinical study of 8 weeks, administration of 300 mg of Ashwagandha twice daily showed a decrease in body fat percentage by 3.5%. Besides, in another observation ashwagandha found useful in patients having chronic stress to managing body weight.
Other useful benefits of using ashwagandha include manage stress, anxiety, and insomnia. (10, 11)
5. Kalonji
Kalonji or black cumin, also known as Nigella Sativa, is an annual herb that belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. Its seeds and oils have been proved to be an effective treatment for weight loss.
Observation of 11 studies found that supplementation with kalonji reduced body weight by 2.11 kg, BMI by 1.16 kg/meter square, and waist circumference by 3.52 cm without causing serious side effects.
Another observation on 875 subjects revealed that supplementation with kalonji reduced body weight by 1.76 kg, and BMI by 0.85 kg/meter square.
Besides, Kalonji is also beneficial in improving cholesterol levels. A study on 57 patients reported that intake of 2 g daily Nigella Sativa for 1 year decreased total and LDL cholesterol and significantly increased HDL cholesterol.
6. Salacia Reticulata
Salacia Reticulata is also known as Kothala Himbutu is a large woody climber. Its root and stem have been used in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of diabetes and obesity. [12]
Animal studies have proved that Salacia Reticulata has a beneficial effect on reducing adipocytes or fat cells, body weight, fat accumulation, alleviation of abnormal lipid metabolism, abnormal glucose tolerance increase, and suppression of liver fat accumulation. [13, 14]
In a human study when 200 mg of Salacia reticulate taken with 1.6 micrograms of Vitamin D3 3 times per day for 4 weeks showed a reduction of body weight by 6.1% and body-fat by 4.5%.
7. Garcinia Cambogia
Garcinia Cambogia is a tropical fruit also known as Malabar tamarind and is a popular weight loss supplement. The fruit rind contains a chemical called hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which is found responsible for its effect on weight loss. [15]
The HCA does so by decreasing appetite, regulating body fat gain, increasing fat oxidation, and inhibiting an enzyme called ATP citrate lyase which as a result decreases fatty acid, cholesterol, and triglycerides synthesis.
Moreover, the Garcinia Cambogia is also effective in reducing belly fat regardless of gender. [16]
8. Punarnava
In Ayurveda, Punarnava means which rejuvenates or renews the body. It is also known as Boerhavia Diffusa which is a trailing herb having antiproliferative and immunomodulatory properties. [17]
It is very useful to correct the digestive system, alleviate fluid retention, and managing lipids and cholesterol. [18]
An animal study also indicates that administration of 100 and 200 mg/kg of Punarnava root extract has potential benefits in reducing visceral fat, bodyweight and high cholesterol in subjects with a high-fat diet.
9. Horse Gram
Horse gram (Macrotyloma uniflorum) is a pulse crop that is a good source of protein, fiber, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins, and phenolic compounds. It is a well-known ayurvedic medicine to treat kidney stones, urinary diseases, piles and to reduce the risk of intestinal diseases, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and dental caries. [19]
One experiment on rats showed that administration with 100mg/Kg and 200mg/kg of horse gram extract significantly reduced body weight.
Also Read: How to Eat Horse Gram for Weight Loss & When to Avoid
10. Ginger
Ginger (Zingiber Officinale) is an important spice of the family Zingiberaceae. It is widely used as herbal medicine and to add or enhance flavor to foods.
Gingerol, a pungent phenolic substance which is the major component in ginger to possesses several bioactivities. [20]
Furthermore, a controlled study on obese women showed that administration of 2 g/day of ginger powder for 2 weeks significantly decreased BMI, serum insulin, and glucose.
Also, one meta-analysis observed that supplementation with ginger significantly decreased bodyweight, waist-to-hip ratio, fasting glucose, and insulin resistance index.
Various animal experiments revealed that ginger could do so by increasing thermogenesis, increasing lipolysis, suppression of lipogenesis, inhibition of intestinal fat absorption, and controlling appetite.
Besides, one study on rats showed that intake of ginger decreased bodyweight through modulation of gut microbiota.
11. Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of tree species known as Cinnamomum and belongs to the Lauracea family. Due to its exotic flavor and aroma, it is being used mainly as a flavoring agent in almost every household for a long time.
It is an effective traditional herbal medicine to help weight loss. Various pooled studies have shown that administration of cinnamon significantly helps to reduce body weight, BMI, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, and fat mass in adults. [21, 22]
Besides, it also possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cholesterol-lowering properties and helps to enhance insulin functions, and stimulate cellular glucose metabolism. [23]
12. Curry Leaves
Curry leaves are the leaves of the tree Murraya koenigii which belongs to the Rutaceae family. These are slightly bitter in taste, pungent in smell, and weakly acidic.
Curry leaves have mahanimbine, a carbazole alkaloid that has anti-obesity and cholesterol-lowering effects. [24]
Animal studies have demonstrated that curry leaves are effective in reducing intake of dietary fat, fat accumulation, and can significantly decrease body weight, blood cholesterol level, and blood glucose level. [25, 26]
13. Black Pepper
Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) has been used in ayurvedic medicine to treat various health issues since ancient times. It is a well-known spice and considered as ‘‘The King of spices’’ among various spices. It belongs to Piperaceae family and has antioxidant, antidiabetic, and gastro-protective properties. [27, 28]
Piperine is the major bioactive compound in black pepper which is responsible for these effects.
Additionally, piperline is useful in reducing body fat accumulation by PPARγ regulating activity. [29]
In an animal study, piperline showed a significant reduction in body weight by 12 – 15%, decreased triglyceride, cholesterol, LDL, and fat mass, and increased HDL level.
Ayurvedic Dietary Secrets for Weight Loss
The following lifestyle changes are the secrets of ayurvedic weight loss: [30]
- Focus on lightly cooked raw vegetables, whole grains, and light proteins such as legumes, fish, or poultry.
- Cook at least five meals per week at home and use spices such as cumin, coriander, fennel, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, basil, oregano, mustard seeds, garlic, and black pepper.
- Eat ample amount of fresh fruits daily 30 min after other foods.
- Try to drink at least 4 to 6 or 8 Oz glasses of room-temperature water per day. Add one glass of water immediately upon waking and one glass with every meal.
- Eat your biggest meal at noontime.
- During eating make sure your stomach should be filled with 1/3 of food, 1/3 water, and 1/3 space.
- Do not eat meat and dairy at the same time.
- Avoid sweet, salty, oily, and heavy, rich, and dense foods.
- Gradually emphasize on eliminating processed and packaged foods, white flour, sugar, and alcohol.
- Eat with awareness and do not eat when you are upset or feeling emotional.
- Focus on the tastes and qualities of the foods and consider your food as the source of your energy and vitality.
