President Clinton Loses Weight With the Help of Herbs

Posted by Cathy on

Clinton loses weight withthe help of a Chinese herbFormer President Clinton wanted to get into shape for his daughters wedding.  Sounds familiar, what almost every parent hopes to do, but not all can achieve this goal.  So how did he do it?  He changed his eating habits and added herbs!  “It changed my whole metabolism,” Clinton says. “And I lost 24 pounds. And I got back to basically what I weighed in high school.”

In the video below President Clinton talks about changing his diet and the protein drink he makes to start his day.  One of the herbs in the morning protein drink is a famous Chinese herb called He Shou Wu.  This herb has been studied and used since ancient times to increase stamina and rejuvenate the body.  Something clearly worked well for Clinton.   This Chinese herb is also well known for increasing sexual vitality and longevity.  Both men and women can use it for fertility.   If you are interested in adding He Shou Wu  to your protein shake or drinking it as a tea, we provide only the  highest quality herbs and He Shou Wu concentrated granules here at Pac Herbs.

Sleep More For Natural Weight Loss

Posted by Cathy on with 2 Comments

Natural Sleep aids help with Weight LossScientists have known for years that sleeping more can actually help you lose weight.  There are many studies to support this conclusion.  One such study published in  2005 which included 8000 adults over several years found that less sleep corresponded to greater risks of weight gain.  Is the answer to the American obesity problem in the bedroom?  It's true that eating and sleeping cannot really occur at the same time.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition studied a small group of men and women and measured their food intake over 48 hours periods.  One period of time included 8 hours of sleep and another in which the participants slept only 4 hours.   After the night of less sleep the men consumed more than 500 extra calories or approximately 22% more.   

The University of Chicago did a similar study last year and and similar findings in both men and women.  The less sleep the more calories eaten, particularly carbohydrates.   Makes sense to me, when I haven't gotten a good nights sleep I tend to make up for my lack of energy with food.   Some studies blame the gain on hormones.  They argue decreased sleep creates a spike in ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite and an increase in leptin, which signals satiety.  But there seems to be no consensus yet.  Regardless, sleep aids such as Chinese herbs can help you stay asleep and give you the rest you need,  without side-effects or additional calories.  Prescription sleep aids in comparison with placebo pills only provided 11.4 minutes of additional rest but then, that is a subject for another bog. 

What do you think?  Does a night of better sleep equal less food intake the next day?

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18719052  Eur J Endocrinol. 2008 Dec;159 Suppl 1:S59-66. Epub 2008 Aug 21. Sleep and the epidemic of obesity in children and adults.

Licorice for Weight-Loss? I Am Skeptical

Posted by Cathy on with 1 Comment
Chinese herb for weight loss, pms and insomnia

Who really needs another article about weight loss plans and products? We’re inundated with advertising on weight loss supplements and the last thing we need is more of the same.  Alas,  I’m asked all the time, “Don’t you have herbs for weight loss?”  People who know me, know I would never suggest Chinese herbs for quick fix weight loss. I’m resigned to the good old fashion diet, eat more veggies, cut the carb’s and do some exercise. There is simply no magic bullet. Chinese herbs are great for a kick start and can help with “draining damp” and “moving qi” or in layman's language "a little clean-out" but even then lifestyle changes are still necessary.    


Then this study comes along and suggests that the oil in a common herb/food we know as licorice, can reduce total body fat and visceral fat.  Wait, I'm a skeptic.  What do you mean? All this time licorice has been masking as Chinese medicine when really it’s a weight loss herb?…. 

 

Licorice contains hydrophobic flavonoids and researchers have been studying these flavonoids for years. Many herbs contain flavonoids and they are a major ingredient in Chinese medicine.   A recent clinical trial with 56 men and 28 postmenopausal women participating used licorice in concentrated extract capsules.  Having changed no other aspect of their lives, all lost weight.

In this trial, some participants were given a placebo capsule and others took capsules of 300 mg of the licorice extract, once daily for eight weeks. The researchers  found that the non- placebo group had decreases from baseline body weight and body mass index after the 4 and 8 weeks mark of treatment.  Other studies on the Chinese herb licorice have seen similar results with LDL cholesterol reduction.

The  researchers of  this study concluded, “that the observed reduction in body weight and fat could be caused by increasing energy expenditure through the enhancement of beta-oxidation and inhibition of lipogenesis.” Further studies are always necessary.  But the researchers also remarked “ that supplementation (with licorice) may prevent or ameliorate obesity and metabolic syndrome when combined with lifestyle modifications including diet and exercise."

Although this may not be a definitive way to lose weight Chinese herbs prove again to be superb health supplements. Whether you are trying to reduce cholesterol or lose weight, Chinese herbs have benefits you may never have thought about.  

I always provide links to the original studies so take a detour here if you want to see the whole study.