 Pills, potions, and herbal remedies are often treated as the first course of action to combat fat and lose weight, when they should really be the last. Without dieting and exercise you are not going to lose weight just by simply taking a pill. However, if you do eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly there are a few fat-loss supplements on the market that may just help give you the edge you need with fat burning and appetite control to lose those extra pounds. Adding herbal supplements that help promote weight loss to your daily regimen can help you burn more calories, resulting in faster, more noticible weight loss.
Due to liabilities faced by supplement manufacturers based on concerns for safety, supplements such as Ephedra and Ma Huang, while effective for weight loss, have been virtully removed from the marketplace. Ephedra-free herbal supplements that help promote weight loss are discussed below.
Herbal Supplements That Help Promote Weight Loss:
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7-Keto Dehydroepiandrosterone
 is a thyroid supplement that has shown positive results in promoting weight loss. In one major study, all test subjects reduced their daily caloric intake moderately and exercised for eight weeks, but only a portion of the subjects took the 7-Keto supplement. Those who took 7-Keto lost three times as much weight and had over a 2% decline in body fat as compared to those who did not take the supplement.
Dose: For the study, subjects took 200 milligrams a day. Most products on the market contain 25 to 50 milligrams.
Warnings: If you are worried that the "sterone" in the supplement might make you a baritone, subjects in the previously mentioned study experienced no change in testosterone levels and measurements of over 20 blood markers also showed no negative effects. However, this was a short-term study and no long-term studies have been conducted.
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Carnitine
 is made in the body from two amino acids and is known to increase fat metabolism. It also serves various protective purposes relating to the heart. However, research results so far have been inconclusive - allowing for double interpretation.
Dose: 500 milligrams twice a day.
Warnings: Be sure to follow the instructions on the label.
- Synepherine
 is a thermogenic compound extracted from certain types of ripe citrus fruit. Studies suggest that synepherine may elevate the metabolic rate by stimulating the central nervous system. Check the fine print on the back of the label to know if the product you are considering taking contains it. It will most likely be listed as Citrus aurantum. Caffeine will likely be listed on there as well and it is included in many products with names like Phen-free, Xenadrine, and Ephedra-free.
Dose: In research for synepherine, the doses have ranged from 40 to 58.5 milligrams a day.
Warnings: Check with your physician before using products that contain synepherine as its possible side effects resemble those of ephedrine (e.g., increased blood pressure, heart palpitations, headache, dizziness, euphoria, tremor, dry mouth, insomnia, and constipation). Also be sure to check the product's label for health conditions that make taking the supplement inadvisable.
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Pyruvate is a naturally occurring substance that leads to the production of ATP (think energy for your cells) and stimulates cellular respiration and inhibits fat production. A lot of the research on pyruvate was done using very, very obese women as test subjects, so it's difficult to extrapolate the fat loss shown there to people looking to drop a few extra pounds.
Dose: 2 grams a day, but this is much less that what has been used in studies that resulted in significant weight loss (i.e., 16 to 25 grams). The reason for this discrepency is that to sell a standard serving of 16 to 25 grams of pyruvate is prohibitively expensive, so it is sold with a recommended daily dose of 2 grams - an amount not likely effective for weight loss.
Warnings: Be sure to follow the instructions on the label.
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Green Tea Extract in capsular form has been shown to increase energy expenditure by 4% and fat utilization over a 24 hour period, as compared to a placebo treatment. That equates to roughly an extra 82 calories per day.
Dose: The studies showing weight loss benefits have used extracts rather than the beverage, so dosage depends on which form you are taking.
Warnings: Because of possible negative cardiovascular effects of caffeine, researchers also examined the heart rates of the test subjects. No significant differences in heart rate and no side effects were reported.
- Vitamin and Mineral Supplements should be taken daily because deficiencies in minerals, such as chromium, can slow fat loss.
Dose: 100 percent of the recommended daily value.
Warnings: Read the label instructions.
When it comes to choosing which herbal supplements to buy, it is best to stick with well known name brands such as Botanic Choice, Twinlab, Met-Rx, and EAS. The following companies all sell herbal supplements that help promote weight loss. These companies are all well established and offer herbal supplements, nutritional supplements, and vitamins at reasonable and often discounted prices.
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