Natural Remedies to lose weight for a wedding – Good Idea or Bad?

When Trying to lose weight for a big event such as your wedding it can often be tempting to try to use the Natural Weight Loss remedies to boost that weight loss. But is this really a good idea? In this article we are going to examine 2 common ingredients in natural weight loss remedies and their impact.

The First is Bitter Orange and the second is Aloe.

Bitter Orange

Bitter Orange ( otherwise known as Citrus aurantium aka sour orange, bigarade orange and Seville orange) is seen as an “other” ephedra, (The stimulant that constricts blood vessels and increases blood pressure and heart rate ) and as a result of this it seems to have very similar side effects. Interestingly enough though natural weight loss remedies that contain Bitter Orange are Marked as being Ephedra free. When in actual fact the chemical composition is almost a mirror image of ephedrine (Ephedra). For this reason alone please be careful when reading labels and looking up ingredients on the products that you are considering using.

Now lets talk a little bit in more detail about Bitter Orange. Bitter Orange contains synephrine and octopamine, These are the chemicals that can cause high blood pressure, and heart disturbances. This herbal remedy also has the ability to inhibit the metabolism of other drugs this means that it would increase the amount of the drug in your body and therefore it can increase the risk of adverse side effects.

Now at this point you need to be asking the question, If there are so many other ways to safely lose weight, why risk taking a herbal remedy such as this?

When you look closely at the information on Bitter Orange Only the peel has proven medicinal value, mainly for digestive problems. It does however seem that several compounds in Bitter Orange will increase metabolic rates. However there have been no clinical trials to prove this. When combined with St. John’s Wort and Caffeine It may be that Bitter Orange is effective. However, this means taking three stimulants all at once. And that is never a good idea.

Aloe

When thinking of Aloe you think of aloe you no doubt think of it being used for treating sunburns and skin conditions and such like. But Aloe is in fact added to a lot of herbal weight loss products. The reason being that it cleans you out. Aloe induces a strong psychotherapeutic response, which is why they also say on the labels it is an internal cleanser. One of the 400 species is Aloe Vera, and it is purported to have medicinal properties.

Aloe has been touted as a cure all. It has been used for wounds, coughs and gastritis as well as arthritis and immune system deficiencies when taken internally. It seems that the only actual substantiated internal use is as a laxative, which may explain it’s link to weight loss. The research on Aloe seems to indicate it has no effect on weight loss. Yet its included in over-the-counter natural remedies for losing weight. There are those that feel its inclusion is misleading to consumers. On the labels Aloe is marked as an internal cleanser, now this can mean many things and seems to hint that it will clean out your system and rid you of fats however all it does is promote strong bowel movements. Now this may lead to some minimal weight loss, However, as I’m sure you are realising by now is that real weight loss would come with a change in your diet and the inclusion of an exercise program. Aloe may be Herbal but that does not mean that it is without side effects. These include abdominal cramping, diarrhoea, electrolyte and decreases in potassium. It is also recommended you do not take aloe in combination with medications such as diuretics.

So what’s the Bottom line? It seems that there is no magic pill when it comes to weightless. If you want to lose weight fast for a special event such as a wedding then I would use extreme caution when taking any herbal remedies that contain so many stimulants. Besides it seems that herbal remedies will have little effect especially compared to diet and exercise. As always consult your Doctor or an experienced herbalist about these preparations before taking them. And before embarking on a diet and exercise program

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