Comparing and contrasting different herbal products intended for the management of obesity approved in the Palestinian markets

BACKGROUND: The use of conventional medical therapies has proven to have many setbacks and safety concerns that need further improvement. However, herbal medicine has been used for over 2000 years, and many studies have proven the use of herbs to be effective and safe. This article discussed the efficacy of different herbal products used in the management of obesity. To evaluate the efficacy of seven herbal-based weight loss products currently available on the Palestinian market, using in vitro assays to screen for antioxidants, anti-amylase, and anti-lipase effects for each product. METHOD: Pancreatic lipase and salivary amylase inhibitory activities, as well as antioxidant analysis, were tested in vitro on a variety of herbal products. Then the IC(50) was measured for each test. RESULTS: The anti-lipase assay results, IC(50) values in (μg/mL) of each of the seven products (Product A, product B, product C, product D, product E, product F, and product G) were 114.78, 532.1, 60.18, 53.33, 244.9, 38.9, and 48.97, respectively. The IC(50) value for orlistat (Reference) was 12.3 μg/ml. On the other hand, the IC(50) value for alpha amylase inhibition of the seven products (Product A, product B, product C, product D, product E, product F, and product F) were 345.93, 13,803.84 (Inactive), 73.79, 130.91, 165.95, 28.18, and 33.11 μg/ml respectively, while acarbose (Reference) was 23.38 μg/ml. The antioxidant activity (IC(50) values) for the seven products (Product A, product B, product C, product D, product E, product F, and product F) were 1258.92, 707.94, 79.43, 186.20, 164.81, 17.53, and 10.47 μg/ml respectively. While the IC(50) value for Trolox was 2.70 μg/ml. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that the seven products showed varied anti-lipase, anti-amylase, and antioxidant effects. However, products F and G showed superiority in all categories.