Ethnopharmacological approach of anti-obesity medicinal plants: A review

Abstract

Obesity is a global epidemic that has shown a steady increase in morbimortality indicators; it is considered a social problem and entails serious health risks. It is most prevalent health problem affecting all age groups, and leads to many complications in the form of chronic heart disease, diabetes mellitus type 2 and stroke. Alternative treatment of obesity is the traditional use of medicinal plants, which supports the research and development of obesity phototherapy. In this review 30 plant species data analyzed on the basis of taxonomy, chemical - biological studies and geographical distribution. A systematic review about safety and efficacy of herbal medicines in the management of obesity in human was carried out through references from PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science and Iran Medex online database.