Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the most ancient systems of natural medicine around. It would be considered “alternative health” if it didn’t predate our modern medical system by many millennia.
We turn to it here for its top-seven remedies for fighting the battle of the bulge:
1. Jiang Zhi Jian Fei Pian
This five-word name is misleadingly long, because the sole ingredient is “da huang,” or rhubarb. One study, comparing rhubarb to two acupuncture methods, found that in just one week people taking the herb every night lost an average of 4.4 pounds. Their waistlines shrunk by an average of nearly four inches.
Many studies have drawn similar conclusions. In one, 216 people had rhubarb half an hour before each meal for three months. Significantly effective for 72 people and effective for another 118, this had an 88% success rate. where patients lost an average of 10.4 pounds.
Incredibly, one study had a practitioner rub rhubarb extract into the skin of the stomach and over 45 days the participants lost an amazing 31 pounds. Another tested rhubarb on obese patients with high cholesterol. After three months, the effectiveness rate was 95% and the average loss was 24 pounds.
2. Xiao Pang Wan
This formula includes a handful of herbs, none of which likely sound familiar. In 286 obese patients, 15 grams a day for two months led to an average of 17 pounds lost. Only 19 people did not respond to treatment.
3. Jiang Zhi San
This one comprises a host of herbs that includes rhubarb, licorice, and white peony root. For 20 days, 132 obese people drank a tea steeped strongly with this concoction. They lost an average of eight pounds — and, tellingly, they did not have to follow any special diet.
4. Acupuncture
Different techniques in acupuncture have yielded success rates of 94% and 85% in obese patients. It remains a highly effective technique for shedding unwanted pounds. It may work best in conjunction with herbal medicine. One study sought to confirm this, with astragalus and rhubarb among the herbs taken. For a month, acupuncture was used every other day on the side. Of 35 people, 34 lost enough weight to put them in the “normal” range.
5. Otopuncture
This simply means acupuncture specifically applied to the ear. In 50 obese patients, researchers found an effectiveness rate of 84%. In addition, 15 minutes before each meal, three points on the ear were pressed with a finger 50 times each.
6. Laser Therapy
An interesting technique is using laser radiation on acupoints. One study took 384 patients with a lot of dampness and weakness in the spleen (according to TCM). Radiation was given each day for 12 days, then patients rested for a week. This was done three times and after that 38 people had cured their obesity, and everyone else experienced major improvements. The effectiveness rate: 100%.
7. Green Tea
It’s more theory than proven, but green tea nonetheless surges forward as a favored supplement with which to lose fat. It does appear to boost your metabolism, although this effect is minimal. It is most likely the catechins within green tea that provide this pound-loss effect.
Read More : Even More Benefits Found in Green Tea