Anti-obesity herbal medications developed with the help of indigenous knowledge systems from Kashmir have been proved to decrease bodyweight with percentage change higher than in case of many conventional medicines.
Lifestyle changes, particularly eating pattern as well as low level of physical activities have triggered the necessity for anti-obesity medications. It is also caused by age related impairment, hormonal changes after menopause. Obesity is a chronic complex ailment due to deposition of excessive fat, impairing health. The condition predisposes a person towards systemic metabolic dysfunction affecting vital organs such as heart, bone and reproductive system. The ailment affects well-being of an individual and pharmaceuticals are exploring viable solution to address this issue.
National Innovation Foundation (NIF) – India, an autonomous Institution of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India promoting validation of indigenous knowledge systems of the country is pivoting development of herbal technologies from outstanding traditional knowledge practices. The institute identified and prioritized two outstanding herbal practices for treatment of obesity from the Kashmir valley. It collaborated with National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), Jaipur in clinical validation of value-added technologies.
The supplementation of this herbal medicine(s) was found to decrease bodyweight and the percent change was found higher among patients provided with supplement rather than conventional medicine.
World Health Organization [WHO] had indicated that prevalence of obesity had doubled between 1990 and 2022, stressing on prioritising this health issue. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a diagnostic parameter to determine overweight and obesity. A clinical study found that both the herbal medicine supplementations demonstrated profound reduction in BMI among treated group of patients. Higher BMI causes non-communicable diseases such as cardiac disorders, diabetes, digestive disturbances. The herbal medicines restored the BMI towards its normal value within a 12-week duration. The healthy range of BMI among treated patients reinforce the finding that supplementation of indigenous medicine had impact on reducing weight gain.
The supplementation reduced the triglyceride level, which is main component of lipid in fat deposits of tissue. A study conducted at the NIA Jaipur found that herbal medications had minimized the level of triglyceride towards normal range of around 150 mg/dL. The study demonstrated that supplementation of herbal medicine can reduce lipid disorder by preventing accumulation of triglycerides, increased risk for heart complications and can minimise diabetes through these value-added technologies.
The clinical study demonstrated salient features of two herbal value-added indigenous technologies in terms of its usage in prevention, management of overweight, obesity and hyperlipidemia. The supplementation of these herbal therapies at individual level can reduce risk of non-communicable diseases as well.
The clinical study supported by NIF generated scientific evidence for the value-added herbal technologies in management of obesity and explored availability of alternative herbal therapies derived from indigenous knowledge system as anti-obesity medications.
