Ethnobotanical Perspective in the Management of Obesity: An Updated Review

Background: Obesity has been increasing very rapidly over the past few decades in various developed countries affecting human health and producing various chronic disorders like diabetes (type 2), fat deposition in the liver, coronary heart disease, and atherosclerosis. Objective: Apart from the genetic and side effects of the drugs, nearly 80-90% of people become obese due to various behavioural factors, high caloric intake, and some physiological factors. Currently, 15- 20% of male adults are overweight and 20-25% of females come under the category of obese. Methods: Obesity is calculated by the body mass index and can be determined by the percentage of body fat and total body fat. Orlistat and sibutramine are two anti-obesogenic drugs which are available on the market and are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. However, these drugs possess various side effects and are high in cost. Therefore, more attention goes towards the medicinal plants and their isolated compounds, which are low in cost and with few or no side effects. Results: In this review, we give information about the anti-obesogenic effect of various medicinal plant compounds isolated from them, the extract dose, and the mechanism of action of in vivo and In vitro activity. During our literature work, we also found some of the plants with effective In vitro and in vivo activity against obesity. Conclusion: Therefore, the government and scientific community and other pharmaceutical companies help to find and work on various medicinal plants not to determine their bioactive compounds but also to develop effective anti-obesity drugs.