The effect of a herbal complex as an aid in weight loss in females

M.Tech.It is estimated that 59% of South African adult women and 29% of South African adult men are overweight (Department of Health, 2004). Significant risks arise from being overweight including: elevated cholesterol and the development of cardiovascular disease which increases with a greater gain in weight (Duyff, 2006). There is a lack of sufficient evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of many of the herbal weight-loss products currently available thus indicating that more research on herbal products and their efficacy in weight-loss is required (Lenz and Hamilton, 2004). The aim of this study is to determine the efficacy of a herbal complex (Aloe ferox, Fucus vesiculosis, Taraxacum officinale and Trigonella foenum– graecum) as an aid in weight loss in females utilising comparative measurements of the participants’ weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), body fat percentage and circumferential measurements of their hips, waist, thighs, upper arms and abdomen. The study was a quantitative, double blind placebo controlled study. The study involved thirty overweight female participants (BMI 25.5 - 30 kg/m²) between the ages of twenty and thirty five. The participants were recruited by means of advertisement posters placed at the University of Johannesburg, Homoeopathy Health Centre. The participants were randomly divided into two groups of fifteen. One group received the herbal complex (Aloe ferox, Fucus vesiculosis, Taraxacum officinale and Trigonella foenum– graecum) and the other group received the placebo. Participants from both groups attended an initial interview where they were screened by means of a questionnaire and physical examination, including the measurement of their height and weight, calculation of their Body Mass Index (BMI) and body fat percentage, as well as the circumferential measurement of their hips, waist, thighs, upper arms and abdomen. Each participant was given a weekly diary and instructed to take fifteen drops of the issued medication three times daily, after meals for the duration of the full eight week study. Participants were examined, weighed, and the measurement of their body circumference and fat percentage were recorded every second week for the duration of the eight week study. Data from each participant was collected and analysed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). From statistical evaluation, it was determined that the herbal complex (Aloe ferox, Fucus vesiculosis, Taraxacum officinale and Trigonella foenum– graecum) was ineffective as an aid in weight loss in females