3 Natural Herbs That Can Boost Your Metabolism

Herbs have almost fallen into that legendary gimmick category like pills – just take it, get the results you want, and that’s it.

And with all these alternative forms of medicine out there – Ayurvedic, Chinese Medicine, other indigenous forms of shamanism and medicine – how do you know what’s legit and what’s an old wives tale?

For starters… I’m a huge believer in following indigenous wisdom.

Generally speaking, if people continue doing something for thousands of years, it works.

But with herbs, if we treat them like a quick fix for any physical or emotional ache and pain, they can quickly become yet another weight loss gimmick.

And that’s not even considering the fact that people spend hundreds of dollars a month on things that may not even matter.

Here are a few PROVEN herbs.

3 Natural Herbs That Have Been Proven to Boost Metabolism

Here’s The Awesomeness Researchers Found

Sooo… there are three herbs in particular I spent time investigating.

Here’s what those bad boys are.

Rhodiola

Check this out – in the first study, Zucker diabetic fatty rats were treated with Rhodiola root powder (100 and 500 mg/kg once daily for 4 weeks).

The result?

The root extract reversed insulin resistance, and lowered triglycerides (all very important markers of heart health and longevity).

And the researchers eventually concluded that this herb in particular showed plenty of potential for treating metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is a tonic herb from Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine.

Historically, tonics and adaptogens are herbs given to you for “overall well-being” – think of Chinese Ginseng.

It’s an herb that doesn’t have very specific actions like stopping your headache, but these herbs in traditional medicine are often valued MORE, WAY more, because they’re viewed as cure-alls.

So how about Ashwagandha in regard to metabolism and weight management?

A total of 64 subjects with a history of chronic stress were enrolled into the study after performing an initial assessment.

These included a measurement of serum (blood) cortisol, and giving a self assessment on a “how freaking stressed are you?” questionnaire.

They were randomized to either the placebo control group or the study drug treatment group, and were asked to take one capsule twice a day for a period of 60 days.

The treatment group that was given the high-concentration full-spectrum Ashwagandha root extract exhibited a significant reduction on ALL counts, relative to the placebo group.

So not only did they show the serum (blood) cortisol hormone levels substantially reduce, the self-reported “I need a xanax” feeling was dramatically reduced too.

Yerba Mate

Sadly, there were no rats this time.

Poor little hamsters 🙁

In the third study, fifty male hamsters were randomly assigned to normal control, high-fat control, and high-fat with Mate tea aqueous extract (1%, 2% or 4% w/v) groups.

So they were either on a control diet, a high fat diet, or a diet with this Yerba Mate extract. Following me?

Afterwards the researchers evaluated the effects it had on body weight, serum lipids and gene expression regarding how well they metabolized fat.

The results?

This Yerba Mate extract significantly decreased body weight gain and lowered the blood lipid levels.

#BOOM baby.

#eatmoreplants.

Your Tiny Habit For Today

Like anything, make sure you check with your doc no matter what, and make sure that there are no contraindications before you take any of these herbs.

But otherwise, generally they are very safe to take, and you can find them easily on Amazon.com or you local health food/supplement store.

If you find yourself in a rough period, where your stress levels are off the charts, before you reach for that Xanax, consider using an adaptogenic or tonic herb to go with your regular exercise and real food plan.

Personally, I’m a big fan of ginseng or drinking tea (like Matcha) first thing in the morning after eating some fruit or having a light snack.

What Other Herbs or Supplements Have You Used? Share Below

– Alex

Sources: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23562841 | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22683493 | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3573577/