Boosting Metabolism with Herbs

Submitted by Loring A. Windblad on February 24, 2010

Enhance Your Metabolism Rates With Herbs

Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions in an organism that are responsible for the organism's growth, functioning, reproduction, and essentially every single activity. It includes the breakdown of organic matter in order to produce energy and the creation of cells and new organic matter for growth and repair. Various enzymes are used to transform one chemical into another, depending on what the organism needs. All these processes are delicately regulated so that the organism can function in a stable and effective manner.

What concerns us most in the area of fitness and diet is probably the metabolic rate – this is the speed at which all these metabolic processes occur. A slow, sluggish metabolism is less capable of burning fat and staying fit.

This is why most people give great importance to boosting the body's metabolism. If your metabolism is healthy and efficient, all your body processes will run smoothly and the calories you consume will be burned and used instead of being stored as fat.

There are several factors that have an effect on your metabolism, and these include your diet, your levels of physical activity, and a number of genetic factors.

While there is no dismissing the importance of exercise and a diet that is well rounded and healthy, there are a few herbs that can give you a slight edge when it comes to boosting your metabolism.

The most well known herbal supplement to boost metabolism is probably green tea. Green tea contains polyphenols that are thought to increase the amount of energy the body uses to produce heat. This means that even when you are at rest, your body is burning more calories than it normally would.

The increase is very small, but it has a cumulative effect. Of course, you need to ensure that you are drinking authentic green tea, and not a substitute.

A similar effect can be achieved by adding herbs such as ginger and cayenne peppers to your regular diet. These herbs are already a natural part of many cuisines across the world, and add excellent and exciting flavors to food.

If you prefer tea, then you can also look for another herb known as “mate”. This herb too has the effect of increasing the body's metabolic rate.

Finally, you should incorporate kelp into your regular diet. While technically not a herb, it can often be found in stores that cell herbal foods. Kelp is essentially a type of edible seaweed and is particularly useful for people who have gained weight because of a thyroid problem