Folk remedies for weight loss, or how our grandmothers lost weight

Edited by an expert:

Nadezhda Primochkina, nutritionist - 05.14.2021

Questions about weight loss occupy the first positions in the ratings of television programs, magazine and Internet publications about a healthy lifestyle. Excess weight is not only a matter of a person’s external beauty. To a greater extent, extra pounds become the culprits of many serious diseases. In fact, there are not so many ways to lose weight: go on a diet, play sports, use weight loss pills, often of very dubious quality, normalize hormonal levels. As an alternative, there are folk remedies for weight loss left by our grandmothers. I wanted to get to know them myself, find real reviews of people who used them, and understand how effective they are.

Types of folk remedies

At the beginning of the last century, 75% of the Russian population were rural residents. The peasant women were strong women, but they clearly had a problem with excess weight; the presence of ancient recipes for losing weight cannot be explained in any other way.

Important! The main cause of excess weight, as a rule, is impaired metabolism. Therefore, most folk recipes are focused on its restoration.

Normal weight without excesses in one direction or the other has always been the basis of health and beauty. All effective folk remedies for weight loss are divided into several types depending on the cause of extra pounds.

There are several of them:

• normalizing metabolism;
• diuretics, removing excess water;
• removing waste and toxins;
• fat burning;
• reducing appetite.

All of them are created on the basis of natural ingredients, which today are easy to find in every pharmacy, and with certain knowledge, assemble them yourself and prepare them using ready-made recipes.

How do natural fat burners work?

There are herbs for weight loss in the green pharmacy that help burn fat and reduce appetite. Thanks to these herbs, you can simultaneously cleanse the blood, tidy up the nervous system and activate metabolism.

Herbs for weight loss act comprehensively. They help the liver and kidneys work well and activate metabolism. And this is exactly what those who want to cope with the extra pounds that have eaten into their bodies need.

You need to start the fascinating process of burning excess fat by activating your metabolism. Almost all herbs for weight loss have a corresponding effect.

There are herbs that have a mild laxative effect. They first cleanse the intestines and activate metabolism.

Normalization of metabolism

Metabolic disorders in most cases cause excess weight. When it is restored, the extra pounds begin to disappear. Simple decoctions and herbal infusions will help you achieve weight loss using folk remedies at home. This method does not bring results instantly, but often stabilizes weight, effectively influencing metabolic processes, helping them to flow correctly.

According to doctors, traditional medicine can easily cope with the normalization of cholesterol levels and fat metabolism. Restoration of lipid metabolism occurs with the help of herbal infusions and teas with the addition of wheat germ, flax, and amaranth fiber to the diet. However, you should not take risks if the cause of metabolic disorders is endocrine pathologies. In this case, a mandatory consultation with an endocrinologist is necessary.

Herbal infusion with walnut leaves

Prepare: walnut leaves, string, violet, burdock roots, yarrow inflorescences, jasmine flowers, strawberry and black currant leaves. Grind all components, take 4-5 grams of each, combine. In total, the total mixture should be 30–35 grams, pour 500 ml of boiling water, leave for 30–40 minutes. Take 50 ml 4 times a day before meals.

Herbal infusion based on chamomile

Take in equal quantities: chamomile, birch buds, St. John's wort, immortelle, knotweed. Pour 500 ml of boiling water and let it brew. Drink 150 ml 2 times a day. Prepare the infusion daily. To improve the effect, you can add a little honey.

Herbal infusion based on fireweed tea

Pour 20 g of dried herb into 500 ml of boiling water, put on fire, bring to a boil, reduce heat and let stand for another 10 minutes. Remove from the stove, wrap in something woolen and leave for another 1 hour. Drink 60 ml 4 times a day before meals.

Dandelion infusion

Dandelion is one of the best folk remedies for weight loss at home, helping to restore metabolism. You can make a salad from dandelion leaves or squeeze the juice out of them and take ¼ part tsp 4 times a day.

For the drink, take 20 g of dry leaves, pour in 250 ml of boiling water, and let it settle. Take 70 ml 3 times a day before meals.

You can prepare an infusion of dandelion, yarrow and wheatgrass. Take 40 g of each chopped dry herb, brew 300 ml of boiling water, keep in a warm place for 1 hour. Take 60 ml every morning before meals for 2 weeks.

Massages and baths for weight loss

Weight loss with folk remedies includes baths and massage treatments. Baths are very useful physiotherapeutic procedures. Water therapy can be done twice a week. The temperature for baths should be 38ᵒC. Physiotherapeutic techniques should not be used in patients with pathology of the heart and blood vessels.

Traditional medicine for weight loss distinguishes several methods of carrying out water procedures:

• Method 1 - use salt 200 g, soda 500 g. Duration of therapy is 1/4 hour. You can additionally add 200 g of honey and 2 drops of essential oil.
• Method 2 – use 200 g of mustard powder. The duration of the water procedure should not exceed 10 minutes. The technique increases metabolic processes, burns fat molecules in subcutaneous fat, and increases blood flow.
• Method 3 – you need to take 150 g of linden blossom, 2.5 liters of boiling water. The solution is boiled, left for 60 minutes, then poured into a bath of water. The solution helps improve the condition of the skin and remove excess water. There are other infusions for weight loss: pine needles, nettle, chamomile, mint, oregano, birch.

In addition to baths, you can use massage treatments. They allow you to increase blood flow in tissues, speed up metabolism, and increase the rate of destruction of fat cells. During the massage, you can treat the hips, waist, buttocks, and other areas. You should take a shower before treatment.

It is better to entrust the massage procedure to a professional massage therapist. You can do a restorative, drainage or anti-cellulite massage. A general strengthening massage technique allows you to increase blood flow, warm up the body, and stretch the muscles. Drainage massage helps speed up the flow of lymph to the lymph nodes.

An anti-cellulite massage procedure allows you to soften adipose tissue, accelerate fat burning, and remove the “lemon peel” on the surface of the skin. This technique is quite painful. During the procedure, honey is often used to enhance the fat burning effect.

Massage treatments are often combined with body wraps. This enhances the weight loss effect. Between massage procedures, experts recommend rubbing cream or lotion into the skin.

Birch bath

How to quickly lose weight using folk remedies? Birch baths increase the exchange of salts and water, stimulate blood exchange in the capillaries. For baths it is allowed to use birch sap, leaves, and twigs.

Recipe for weight loss:

1. For 200 g of leaves, juice or twigs you need to take 1 liter of water. The raw materials are poured with water and boiled. After the medicinal solution boils, you can pour it into a bath of water. It is necessary to carry out water procedures 2-3 times a week. The course includes 10 physiotherapy procedures.
2. For 600 g of branches, juice or leaves, take 3 liters of water. The solution is boiled and poured into a bath of water.
3. Mix 500 g of birch leaves and 8 liters of boiling water. Bring to a boil, stand for almost an hour, pass through cheesecloth. The solution is poured into a bath of water. Bath temperature 38-39ᵒС. The procedure is used for gout, stress, dermatitis, and rheumatic pathologies. Take a bath for a quarter of an hour. You should perform 2 physiotherapy procedures per week.

Raw materials, especially leaves, should be harvested in May. At this time, birch trees are actively growing and covered with resin. The leaves are dried in a dark, dry place, well ventilated. The ideal option is an attic or barn.

Linden bath

Linden baths are the most effective means for weight loss. They allow you to increase the functioning of the sweat glands, blood flow in the skin, and increase metabolism. Linden flowers really help in the treatment of obesity by removing excess water.

To lose weight, a folk remedy is collected or purchased at a pharmacy. Suitable leaves, seeds, flowers, buds, bark. To make a medicinal infusion you need 150 g of raw materials and 2.5 liters of water. The solution is brought to a boil, after which the container is covered with a blanket and left for 60 minutes. After standing, the infusion is poured into water.

The procedure should be carried out 1.5 hours before eating. You should not immediately eat too much after a bath. The course of therapy consists of 10-14 physiotherapy procedures.

Attention! Water procedures should be combined with diet therapy and physical activity. This will increase the effectiveness of therapy.

Essential bath

How to lose weight quickly using folk remedies? Baths with essential oils are actively used. They soothe, improve the condition of the skin, and fight cellulite.

Types of oil solutions for water procedures:

• juniper;
• lemon;
• bergamot;
• lavender;
• grapefruit;
• rosemary;
• mandarin;
• orange;
• geranium;
• lemongrass.

Water procedures with oil concentrates should be carried out in the morning. The course of therapy is 6-8 weeks. The duration of the physiotherapy procedure is a quarter of an hour. Only 2-3 drops of ether solution should be added to the bath, since its concentration is high. After a physical procedure, cosmetologists recommend applying a body moisturizer (cream, gel) to the skin.

Attention! Anti-cellulite cosmetics enhance the effectiveness of the procedure.

Folk remedies that remove excess water

Sometimes excess weight appears due to excess water accumulated in the body, which can be removed with the help of special medical drugs - diuretics. Folk diuretics for weight loss also have a good effect.

Important! For a healthy person, taking diuretics is extremely dangerous due to an imbalance in water balance, which can lead to a malfunction of the body as a whole. Diuretics are prescribed to people with impaired cardiovascular and renal function, leading to the accumulation of excess fluid.

However, taking them several times a week or every day for a short period of time is quite possible.

The best herbs with a diuretic effect:

• chamomile;
• dill;
• parsley;
• cucumber;
• celery;
• green tea.

A nutritionist or naturopathic specialist can help you decide which folk remedy for weight loss is most effective in each specific case. If you want to try different recipes, you need to remember that herbs are the same medications as pills. Therefore, it is necessary to be careful with the dosage and timing of administration to avoid negative side effects on the body as a whole.

Tincture based on parsley, dill and chamomile

Prepare dry crushed herbs: 1 tbsp. l. chamomile, 1 tbsp. l. parsley, 2 tbsp. l. dill. Mix them and place in a dry container. Take 1 tbsp. l. pour the mixture into a thermos, pour 250 ml of boiling water, let it brew for at least 12 hours. Be sure to take 70 ml 3 times a day half an hour before meals, and not after it.

Cocktail with celery and cucumber

Take 3 sprigs of celery, 1 medium-sized cucumber, chop with a blender. Add 0.5 liters of clean filtered water. Take 125 ml before meals 4 times a day.

Green tea

Good green tea not only strengthens blood vessels, but also removes unnecessary fluid from the body. As a medicinal herb, it should be taken 4 times a day, 10–20 minutes before meals, 1 cup.

Important! To preserve the valuable properties of tea, it is brewed at a temperature of no more than 85°C. Green tea lovers need to remember that calcium, which is responsible for bone health, is washed out of the body along with excess fluid.

Pumpkin puree with apples and raisins

Grind 1 kg of pumpkin, 3 green sour apples, a handful of raisins in a blender. Place the resulting mixture in a container and place in the refrigerator. Take 3 tbsp. l. before eating. The mixture helps to remove not only excess water, but helps reduce cholesterol and toxins.

What herbs burn fat

Photo: Pixabay
In fact, there are quite a few natural fat burners. In order for your weight to return to normal, you need weight loss herbs that help digestion and increase energy expenditure.

Ginger root, some types of pepper, rosemary, and turmeric are good for this purpose. Thanks to their properties, energy and mobility will come into the body, and excess calories will come out.

Cabbage juice is a great way to help fight excess weight. Cabbage juice not only reduces appetite, but also prevents fat from being deposited - it removes them from the body.

You should start drinking fresh cabbage juice, half a glass before meals in the first week. In the second week, you can increase the amount of juice to a glass. The course of taking a natural fat burner is a month, then you need to take a break.

Recipes for removing toxins

The cause of obesity can be waste products that are deposited in the intestines, forming toxins. They are not only the cause of excess weight, but also poor health and unhealthy appearance. Simple folk remedies for losing weight at home will help empty your intestines and lose a few extra pounds.

Decoction of plums and buckthorn

Pour 500 ml of boiling water over 500 g of fresh plums or 350 g of prunes, add 100 g of crushed dry buckthorn. Boil over low heat for 10 minutes, leave for 2 hours, strain. Take at night, diluting 125 ml of decoction in 125 ml of boiled water.

Decoction of pine needles with rose hips

50 g of young spruce or pine needles, 3 tbsp. l. chopped rose hips, pour 500 ml of water. Simmer in a water bath for 25 minutes. After removing from the stove, wrap the container well and place in a warm place for at least 12 hours. The resulting infusion is taken one day before each meal, adding 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice. A new decoction is prepared for the next day.

Herbal decoction of burdock and horse sorrel

Dry herbs: 120 g burdock root, 80 g horse sorrel, 20 g slippery elm leaves mixed. Place the finished dry mixture in a dry container. Take 30 g of the mixture, add 1.5 liters of water, boil in a water bath for 25 minutes. Take 2 tbsp of the finished decoction. l. before meals 3 times a day.

To remove toxins from the body, you need to introduce healthy plant foods into your diet. Beets, cabbage, plums, and prunes have a laxative effect on the intestines and help remove many harmful substances.

Alternative opinion of expert Svetlana Titova:

“Self-medication” has always taken place among the population. But, unfortunately, often this not only does not solve the problem, but also harms the body. Since each seemingly most ordinary product has its own individual digestibility and tolerance to a specific person. What can we say about decoctions of medicinal herbs and the abuse of diuretic and diarrhea-causing products, which, if used incorrectly, can lead to the leaching of useful and extremely necessary substances for our body. To create the right diet for yourself that will solve a specific problem, you need to take into account a lot of individual nuances: gender, age, chronic diseases, lifestyle, physical activity, taste preferences, climate of residence, human capabilities, and that’s not all. Therefore, if you are not an expert in this field, you will do yourself more harm than good. If you want to solve the problem, contact the appropriate specialist!

Collect or buy?

What is healthier: making supplies yourself or choosing ready-made ones at a pharmacy or supermarket?

What are the benefits of self- cooking:

• Confidence in the quality of raw materials (of course, if they are collected far from the city, roads and enterprises),
• Free (well, practically, except for travel costs),
• A large selection of varieties and types, the ability to make all kinds of combinations and stocks in the required quantities.

However, independent search has a number of difficulties .

1. Firstly, you need to have a good understanding of botany and not confuse similar inflorescences and leaves.
2. Secondly, we are limited by geographical boundaries.
3. Thirdly, the collected roots and stems need to be able to be dried properly (and have a place for this) and stored.

It seems to me that it is best to choose ready-made folk remedies, for example, in a pharmacy . There will be those who doubt the quality of the products. However, such productions undergo inspections and certifications. Plus, along with the box from the pharmacy, you will receive precise instructions for use, a description of use and contraindications.

If we are talking about complexes, then store-bought herbs will be correctly composed in compliance with dosages, proportions and compatibility of components.

I do not advise you to buy plants from strangers in dubious places. For example, on the side of the road, with grandmothers at the market. It is unknown what exactly the compassionate old men are offering you and where they collected it.

Fat burning recipes from our grandmothers

These primarily include folk remedies for losing belly fat. This is the most problematic area, especially for women who have given birth. Extra pounds immediately settle on the stomach and hips.

Advice: the problem of a sagging belly cannot be solved with folk remedies alone. It is necessary to regularly pump up the abs to restore elasticity to the muscles and tighten the stomach.

Decoction with ginger and honey

1 tsp. grated ginger, pour 250 ml of hot water, stand for 7 minutes, strain. Add a little honey, stir, drink 3 times a day before meals. Ginger reduces hunger, enhances thermogenesis, which helps burn excess fat.

Decoction with lemon and honey

Juice of half a lemon, 2 tsp. honey, 1 glass of warm water, mix. Drink 4 times a day before meals. Vitamin C contained in lemon oxidizes fat, preventing its accumulation.

Buckwheat

It helps to get rid of belly fat, improves metabolism, and cleanses the body of toxins. Pour boiling water over 1 cup of peeled cereal, wrap it up, and leave overnight. Consume small portions throughout the day. Numerous positive reviews about losing weight using folk remedies at home refer specifically to this useful product.

To burn fat, you should add fruits to your diet if possible: pineapple, grapefruit, blueberries. And also oatmeal jelly, birch sap and drink a lot of clean water.

What is the advantage of herbal medicine?

• The benefits of this method of losing extra pounds are obvious.
• Vitamins and microelements generally improve the health of the body.
• Plus, this is a real way to get rid of a couple of centimeters from the waist (while observing food restrictions and doing at least a little physical activity) without putting a lot of stress on the heart, joints, and stomach.
• To the list of advantages it is worth adding the fight against cellulite, stress, inflammation, normalization of sleep, the nervous system, increased tone, mood, improved regeneration, etc.

Knowing the natural properties of different roots, you can combine them, enhancing efficiency and results. For example, to lose weight, you can take compounds that reduce hunger and increase metabolism at the same time. But there are also contraindications that should be taken very carefully.

Appetite suppressants

Regular overeating stretches the stomach. To bring it to a normal state of 300–350 ml, it is necessary to reduce the amount of food taken. To do this, you can use “grandmother’s” recipes.

Celery decoction

Steam 250 g of celery root, 500 ml of water in a water bath for 15–20 minutes, without bringing to a boil. Strain, drink 100 ml 30 minutes before meals.

Bran decoction

1 cup of bran (preferably oat bran), 1 liter of water, bring to a boil, cook for 10 minutes. Strain the cooled broth, take ½ cup 20–30 minutes before meals.

Helps reduce appetite:

• 1 tsp. flaxseed oil half an hour before meals;
• 1 green apple between meals;
• 1 tbsp. l. garlic water (5 crushed cloves of garlic, pour 250 ml of cold boiled water, add ½ tsp honey, 1 slice of lemon).

As a rule, the first 3–4 days are considered difficult, then the body adapts to the new conditions of eating. Dietitians recommend constantly monitoring the amount of food you eat.

Reviews

On the Internet you can find numerous reviews about losing weight using folk remedies related to normalizing metabolism or removing toxins. Opinions are diametrically divided 50/50%. It cannot be otherwise, because each person is individual, and in the same way the actions of the substances that form the basis of any folk recipe are individual.

Lyudmila, 38 years old: “I never had big problems with weight, but 5-6 extra kilos still got in the way. I decided to try my grandmother’s method of losing weight - dandelion infusion. I took 3 times 70 ml for 2 months. I lost 4 kg without giving up my usual food.”

Vera, 48 years old: “I have been overweight since childhood. I tried different diets. I bought pills, active supplements, went to a fitness club, and ran. I tried a lot of things, including folk recipes. Everything helps temporarily, you will lose 5–8 kg, then you allow yourself to eat a little too much and gain it back again. I don’t believe in any recipes, but I believe in willpower: minimum food, maximum physical activity. Then you’ll really lose weight.”

Elena, 29 years old: “I gained 9 kg after giving birth, while I was breastfeeding I added another 3 kg. I immediately rejected diet pills, started running, doing abs, and lost a little weight. But then my favorite New Year holidays came, I again allowed myself salads, cakes, and the weight returned. I started looking on the Internet for ways to lose weight, came across “grandmother’s recipes”, and read about buckwheat. I started eating a little of it every day, plus drinking a decoction with ginger, honey and lemon. I removed my favorite waffles from my diet and switched to crackers and biscuits. In 3 months I lost 8 kg. Girls, try folk recipes, our great-grandmothers were no stupider than us.”

Olga, 32 years old : “I found a recipe made from pine needles with rose hips, which supposedly removes toxins. I drank it for a month. Not only is it not a very pleasant drink, but the results are non-existent. Weight loss per month – 0 kg. True, problems with constipation have become less. Perhaps it was worth drinking it for three months?”

Victor, 45 years old : “I am a supporter of alternative medicine, I read a lot about herbs. He cured his obesity with herbs. There is no need to expect instant results from folk remedies. They will come if you use them correctly and for a long time. Personally, cocktails with celery, a decoction of parsley, dill and chamomile helped me. Plus I ate bread with bran, pumpkin puree, oatmeal, and started running in the morning. In a year I lost 12 kg. Instead of 100 kg, I already weigh 88 kg, and I’m not gaining weight.”

Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers left us the most valuable information - recipes for losing weight using folk remedies. Whether to use them or not is up to each individual to decide. For myself personally, I found in these recipes a lot of useful information on how to cleanse your body using affordable and even pleasant means, reduce your appetite if it develops, and improve your metabolism. I am sure that our ancestors compiled recipes by trial and error, choosing products that were safe for health, given by nature itself.

Harm and contraindications to the use of herbal remedies

Uncontrolled use of herbal preparations is unacceptable. Despite the wide range of beneficial properties, there are specific contraindications for each specific herb.

Herbs for weight loss should not be taken:

• during the period of gestation;
• with exacerbation of intestinal diseases;
• for pathologies of the gallbladder;
• with inflammation of the genitourinary system;
• people with a stomach tumor;
• for hemorrhoids.

You must first consult with a nutritionist; he will make a choice in favor of one herb or another based on individual indications.