The ‘Science’ Behind Herbal Magic
Phase 1-Weight Loss- During this phase, a personal
health coach reviews the client’s medical history and food
journal as well as recommends a meal plan with natural health
products to optimize healthy weight loss. Once the goal weight
is reached, the client enters Phase 2.
Phase 2-Stabilization- In this phase, the client and
personal health coach work together to increase the amount of
food intake while maintaining the client’s goal weight.
Phase 3-Maintenance- The length of the maintenance
phase varies for clients based on the amount of weight lost
during the weight loss phase. This is the phase intended to
ensure the weight is kept off for good.
Herbal Magic’s Scientific Advisory Team
researches and designs all of the products and
programs. Developed by a team of pharmacological
manufacturing companies, naturopathic doctors,
registered dietitians, and pharmacists, Herbal Magic
natural health products are designed to support
weight control and promote overall health and energy.
The products consist of herbs, nutraceuticals, vitamins,
and minerals. As of July 2012, all 47 of Herbal Magic's
Natural Health Products have received Natural
Product Numbers (NPNs) which means that they are
licensed for sale in Canada and have had their safety,
efficacy, and quality approved by Health Canada.
1. Diets
rich in fruits and vegetables reduce blood pressure (BP)
and the risk of adverse cardiovascular events. However, the mechanisms of
this effect have not been clarified. Certain vegetables possess a high nitrate
content, and it is hypothesized that this might represent a source of
vasoprotective nitric oxide via bioactivation. In healthy volunteers,
approximately 3 hours after ingestion of a dietary nitrate load (beetroot
juice 500 mL), BP was substantially reduced; an effect that correlated with
peak increases in plasma nitrite concentration. The dietary nitrate load also
prevented endothelial dysfunction induced by an acute ischemic insult in
the human forearm and significantly attenuated ex vivo platelet
aggregation in response to collagen and ADP. Interruption of the
enterosalivary conversion of nitrate to nitrite (facilitated by bacterial
anaerobes situated on the surface of the tongue) prevented the rise in
plasma nitrite, blocked the decrease in BP, and abolished the inhibitory
effects on platelet aggregation, confirming that these vasoprotective effects
were attributable to the activity of nitrite converted from the ingested
nitrate. These findings suggest that dietary nitrate underlies the beneficial
effects of a vegetable-rich diet and highlights the potential of a “natural”
low cost approach for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.
2. Fenugreek is an herb whose seeds lower
basal blood glucose level, plasma glucagon,
somatostatin levels and reduces hyperglycemia.
Fenugreek seeds also lower cholesterol, improves
your digestive system and balances the body’s
sugar levels.
3. Green tea leaves have thermogenic
properties and promotes fat oxidation beyond that
explained by its caffeine content per se. The green
tea extract may play a role in the control of body
composition via sympathetic activation of
thermogenesis, fat oxidation, or both.
4. Hoodia Gordonii is an herb from a plant in
South Africa that reduces appetite by mimicking
the effect that feeling full has on your after you eat.
This makes a person not feel hungry, causing them
to eat less without starving themselves, which is
very unhealthy.
5. White Kidney Bean Powder is an herb that
has gone through extensive research and testing.
What it does is stop the digestive process from
turning starch into sugar, through α-amylase, so
you take in less fat calories, and your body gets rid
of the starch you don't need.
The February 5, 2010 episode of the
investigative news program CBC Marketplace
examined the health effects of Herbal Magic's optional
supplement products. The program and its
independent experts determined there was insufficient
empirical evidence to convince them that the
supplements facilitate weight loss. Accordingly, the
documentary claimed it observed Herbal Magic
salespeople using tactics that lead customers to
overestimate the supplements' effectiveness.
Marketplace also interpreted Herbal Magic's practice of
only telling customers the cost of the program after a
free consultation as disingenuous.
After going over the research I found on
those five most common ingredients, I have come
to a decision. That decision is as follows, Herbal
magic can work for some people, if you are
dedicated enough to potentially make a drastic
change in your life style –which most won’t– and
can actually afford the plan your new health coach
has recommended. Also, the rest of the ingredients
that Herbal Magic implements aren’t as effective
as the five ingredients I listed. In conclusion,
Herbal Magic is over rated and appears to mostly
rely on placebos and the power of suggestion.
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1. "Herbal
Magic
Weight
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Herbal
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http://www.herbalmagic.com/programs2.php. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
2. "Herbal Magic Inc. Recruiting Quality Franchise Partners". BeTheBoss.ca.
March 7, 2008. http://www.betheboss.ca/article.cfm?id=300. Retrieved 2011-0327.
3. "Herbal Magic Diet Program". Weight Loss Center. http://www.weight-losscenter.net/diet-programs-herbal-magic.html. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
4. Johnson, Erica (February 5, 2010). "Magic in a Bottle?". CBC Marketplace.
http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/Marketplace/ID=1405964153.
Retrieved
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5. Knows, George. "Ingredients in Herbal Weight Loss Supplements." Ingredients
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2013
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7. Keywords: α-Amylase inhibitor; White kidney bean extract (Phase 2); <span
style='font-style: italic'>Phaseolus vulgaris</span>; Safety; Starch blocker;
Toxicity
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