Miracle plants do not exist. However, many of them can facilitate weight loss and accompany a diet.
If you want to lose weight and start a slimming diet, I suggest supporting your efforts with certain herbal teas. These can increase renal elimination of water and therefore promote the elimination of fats and toxins.
I also recommend that you stay well hydrated (this is where herbal teas come into play), get enough sleep, and engage in regular physical activity.
I have selected 6 diuretic and draining herbal teas that I recommend consuming for a course of no more than 2 to 3 weeks. Don’t hesitate to consult a dietitian to maximize your chances.
📚 Lire aussi | L’avis d’un diététicien sur 7 programmes minceur
1. Artichoke leaves
The artichoke leaves (Cynara cardunculus) are traditionally used for their action on the gallbladder and the liver. They stimulate their activity, and thus facilitate the elimination of waste and fats.
A small anecdote: there is a medication, ChophytolⓇ, mainly composed of artichoke leaves. It is used to facilitate digestive and renal elimination functions, as indicated by this report from the French National Authority for Health.
Artichoke leaves can be found dried and loose in health food stores and herbal shops.
2. Blackcurrant leaves
Les feuilles de cassis (Ribes nigrum), en plus de leur goût délicieux, présentent une capacité à favoriser l’élimination rénale de l’eau, comme le montre ce rapport de l’EMA (Agence Européenne du Médicament).
They are very useful in cases of water retention and when following slimming diets, to help eliminate fat and reduce cellulite.
To support kidney function, I recommend drinking at least 1L of water and 1L of blackcurrant leaf herbal tea per day.
3. Les queues de cerise
The cherry stalks we use in phytotherapy come from the Morello cherry (Prunus cerasus), native to Europe and Southwest Asia. They are traditionally used for their cleansing properties, as shown by this study.
Cherry stalks are consumed dried as an infusion, at a rate of 3 cups per day for 2 weeks. I also recommend them for cystitis, as they are urinary antiseptics.
4. La sève de bouleau
The sap of birch (Betula pubescens) has diuretic, liver-draining and kidney-draining properties. These properties are recognized, as shown by this excerpt from Vidal, a pharmaceutical reference.
It helps detoxify the liver and kidneys, eliminate the body’s waste, reduce excess cholesterol, and fight water retention and cellulite.
De plus, elle est riche en antioxydants et en vitamines. Idéal pour revitaliser l’organisme et favoriser la souplesse des articulations.
It is harvested in March, when it rises from the roots toward the buds, before the young leaves appear. The 3L cure lasts 20 days, i.e. 15 cL every morning upon waking. My herbal shop customers love it!
5. Linden sapwood
Il s’agit de l’une de mes plantes préférées. Moins connue que la tisane de bractées pour favoriser l’endormissement, celle d’aubier (la partie sous l’écorce) de tilleul (Tilia cordata) est traditionnellement utilisée pour ses propriétés drainantes très efficaces du foie et de la vésicule biliaire.
That is what Jean-Michel Morel states in his Traité pratique de phytothérapie.
It can be used alone or in combination with other draining plants, but be careful, since it is the ‘bark’, you must make a decoction.
A small tip for making a linden sapwood decoction: put 30 g of linden sapwood in 1 L of cold water, bring to a boil. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes, remove from the heat and let infuse off the heat for 20-30 minutes. Drink the decoction slowly throughout the day, making sure to drink extra water.
6. Dandelion leaves
In roots or leaves, the dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis) stimulates kidney function, as the recognizes the European Medicines Agency.
Small anecdote: in “pissenlit” you find the word “pisser”, which clearly indicates the properties of this plant!
For a full 20-day course, I recommend 3 to 4 cups per day of dandelion leaves. Make sure to stay well hydrated as well.
My advice before taking these teas for weight loss
In general, all the plants mentioned above can be combined together and consumed as herbal tea.
Don’t hesitate to drink extra water to support kidney function and help eliminate waste and fats.
Warning: all these plants are contraindicated in children, adolescents, pregnant or breastfeeding women. They are also not recommended for vulnerable individuals with, among other conditions, serious heart and/or kidney problems. They should also not be combined with a diuretic treatment.
Sources et études scientifiques
European Union herbal monograph on Taraxacum officinale F.H. Wigg., radix EMA/HMPC/475726/2020
European Union herbal monograph on Ribes nigrum L., folium EMA/HMPC/745353/2016
French National Authority for Health. CHOPHYTOL (artichoke). Saint-Denis La Plaine: HAS; 2004.
Hooman N, Mojab F, Nickavar B, Pouryousefi-Kermani P. Diuretic effect of powdered Cerasus avium (cherry) tails on healthy volunteers. Pak J Pharm Sci. 2009 Oct;22(4):381-3. PMID: 19783515.
Morel, J. M. (2008). Practical Treatise of Phytotherapy: remedies of yesterday for tomorrow’s medicine, p.349. Grancher.
