Using "slimming" herbal teas and other types of herbal weight-loss products (pills, shakes, etc) is aptly called the "toilet" diet, because people who consume such products spend a lot of time in the bathroom. Still, many people patronize these products, because they reportedly ensure rapid weight loss. What consumers are not usually aware of is that weight lost is water and that there may be serious health risks involved.
"Slimming" teas.
These herbal teas, marketed for their "slimming" properties, contain laxatives or diuretics or a combination of both.
A laxative is defined as any medicine that either stimulates bowel movements or softens the stools for emptying while a diuretic is used to rid that body of excess water through an increased rate of urination.
While laxatives and diuretics made by drug companies are sold by prescription only, potent herbal laxatives and diuretics, in the form of slimming teas and weight-loss pills, are sold in health stores.
Common herbs used in these imported preparations are the laxatives senna, cascara, buckthorn or rhubarb root and the diuretics uva ursi, mallow or licorice root. But nobody really knows the ingredients of the popular Chinese herbal slimming tea sold in the country.
Dangers
The biggest health risks associated with drinking slimming teas on a regular basis are dehydration and diarrhea which could lead to life-threatening potassium depletion.
Since proper heart function is dependent on correct electrolyte balance, a severe deficiency of potassium can make your heart stop beating.
The US Food and Drug Administration reports a number of cases of deaths and near-deaths associated with the use of these slimming teas. American Randi Fine, who was interviewed by Self magazine last year, filed a report with the FDA about her declining energy levels, weak muscles (so weak she couldn't get out of bed), and heart palpitations after taking a slimming tea on a regular basis for three months. Ms Fine is one of the lucky ones because she survived. Not so lucky were the other women documented by the FDA, as having suffered heart failure from taking such slimming teas.
The FDA has removed all the brands of teas responsible for these deaths from the market. However, other brands are still available and until deaths have been attributed to them, they will continue to be sold with impunity.
Ill-effects
Other herbal weight-loss formulas don't just contain laxatives or diuretics but also the Chinese herb ma huang that has a strong stimulant effect.
The active drug ingredient in ma huang is ephedrine that is found in some asthma medicines and decongestants.
Ephedrine is dangerous for people with high-blood pressure, heart conditions and diabetes.
The FDA reports that there have been 15 deaths and 500 plus adverse reactions to ma huang sold in herbal weight-loss formulas, "energy" pills, and a special blend sold as an "herbal high" substitute for the illegal street drug Ecstasy.
What worries the FDA is that 80 percent of the people who experienced the adverse reactions did not take the health food store products in excess, but followed the recommended dosage that was printed on the labels. The Associated Press reports last year attributed the death of a 20-year-old college student to ephedrine.
The ill effects of ephedrine, however, can manifest itself early or much later. A slightly older student died after taking an ephedrine-induced "protein drink" for two years in order to boost his bodybuilding workouts. However, the life of a 35-year-old woman using ephedrine-laden pills was cut short in only 11 days.
Taking more than the recommended dosage is fatal. A 35-year-old man who took five capsules before a workout died of a heart attack as well. Meanwhile, an investigation of the dialysis units in Brussels, Belgium led to a 1993 report that documented 45 cases of kidney failure (18 of them terminal) in women taking a Chinese herbal weight-loss product.
Potent mix
Another common practice among manufacturers of these herbal weight-loss products is to mix ma huang with guarana or kola nut (which contains caffeine) and white willow bark (which contain aspirin) to further enhance the stimulant effect.
Clinical studies show that these three ingredients, if taken together, could have the stimulant effects of an amphetamine. Because both ephedrine and caffeine speed up the heart, taking the two ingredients together is more dangerous than just taking either the ephedrine or caffeine alone, according to experts.
Adulterated with prescription drugs
Some unscrupulous manufacturers adulterate their herbal weight-loss products with powerful prescription drugs.
An example is a "natural" weight-loss product called Quicky banned in 1993 by the FDA.
The label stated that it contained papaya, kelp, garlic and lactose when it actually contained a full medical dose of furosemide, a potent, prescription-only diuretic.
Another example is Nature's Nutrition Formula One that was investigated by the FDA in 1995 after a woman died.
It was discovered that the company was lacing their herbal weight-loss product with synthetic ephedrine hydrochloride and synthetic caffeine.
Employees gave sworn statements that they were forced to keep quiet about the adulteration.
Don't flush your health away
Instead of flushing your money and health down the toilet by taking these weight-loss products, it pays to heed Varro Tyler, Ph.D., author of the book "The Honest Herbal" and acknowledged by many to be one of the world's leading experts on plant medicine:
"There is no herb that has been proven safe and effective for weight loss". Enough said.