Obesity is a multifactorial disease that is characterised by excess body fat
and enlarged adipose tissue. Obesity is closely associated with several noncommunicable
diseases, including type 2 diabetes, pulmonary arterial hypertension,
dyslipidemia, non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases, hypoventilation syndrome, different
types of cancers, inflammation, and cardiovascular diseases. The best preventive
strategies for obesity are physical exercise, diet, and weight loss. Since this is not
possible for all people, pharmacotherapy is required. The current therapy for obesity
includes synthetic drugs and surgical procedures, which has high cost and many
adverse effects. Hence the development of novel and natural drugs is necessary for the
management of obesity. Numerous in vivo and in vitro investigations have proved that
herbal medicine can ameliorate obesity, and those research findings include not only
the individual plants but also different phytochemicals, extracts and polyhedral
formulations. The inhibitory effects of different phytochemicals on the lipase enzyme
activity, adipocyte differentiation, and promoting effects on energy expenditures and
lipid metabolism are the different mechanisms that account for the management of
obesity. So based on the previous research findings, researchers conclude that a
synergistic drug which is formulated by combining potential medicinal herbs with a
typical anti-obesity drug along with lifestyle modifications could ameliorate obesity
and associated complications. This chapter summarises the current status and prospects
of synergistic drugs and polyherbal formulations in the development of a safe and
functional drug for the management of obesity.
Keywords: Lifestyle Modifications, Multifactorial Disease, Management of
Obesity, Phytochemicals, Polyherbal Formulations, Synergistic Drug.
