Chinese Herbs to Lose Weight

Chinese medicine works to bring a body back in to balance. This works on two levels. The first brings the chi, or life force present in all living things, back in to balance. Through balancing the chi, the body follows. A number of Chinese herbs that work along this principle are recommended for weight loss.

Causes of Excess Weight

In Chinese medicine, excess weight is caused by a chi deficiency that prevents the burning of fats and oils. There are a number of possible causes of this deficiency, and consulting a traditional Chinese medical practitioner is always a good idea. However, a number of general things can help to balance a chi that is low in yang energy.

Tea

Although tea is often not considered an herb, it in fact has excellent properties to help with weight loss. Many Chinese teas, especially Pu-erh tea, are very good at reducing cholesterol. One reason they are good for cholesterol is that they help the body process dietary fats. Although not as good, many Chinese medical practitioners will recommend green tea, oolong tea and black tea to help the body process fats. Pu-erh is produced from the ancient, large leafed tea tree that predates the modern tea plant.

Three Classes of Weight Loss Herbs

There are three general classes of weight loss herbs in Chinese medicine. The first are herbs that transform phleghm. According to Chinese medicine, this is one of the causes of excessive weight gain. These herbs also generally help to move fluids in the body. Fluid buildup is considered a secondary cause of weight gain. Herbs of this type include hawthorn berry, magnolia bark and citrus peel. The second type of herb, which includes ginseng, ginger and astralagus, are metabolism herbs. These herbs increase chi activity and, thereby, metabolism which results in more efficient use of food. The third type of Chinese herbs are the detoxifying herbs. These herbs work to suppress appetite and include longan fruit and mint zizyphus.