The Potential of Lamiaceae Herbs for Mitigation of Overweight, Obesity, and Fatty Liver: Studies and Perspectives

Abstract

Numerous plants, plant extracts, and plant-derived compounds are being explored for their beneficial effects against overweight and liver diseases. Obesity is associated with the increased prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), becoming the most common liver disease in Western countries. Obesity and NAFLD are closely associated with many other metabolic alternations such as insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases. Many herbs of the Lamiaceae family are widely employed as food and spices in the Mediterranean area, but also in folk medicine, and their use for the management of metabolic disorders is well documented. Hereby, we summarized the scientific results of the medicinal and nutraceutical potential of plants from the Lamiaceae family for prevention and mitigation of overweight and fatty liver. The evidence indicates that Lamiaceae plants may be a cost-effective source of nutraceuticals and/or phytochemicals to be used in the management of metabolic-related conditions such as obesity and NAFLD. PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and SciFinder were accessed to collect data on traditional medicinal plants, compounds derived from plants, their reported anti-obesity mechanisms, and therapeutic targets.

Nutritional and Physiological Properties of Thymbra spicata: In Vitro Study Using Fecal Fermentation and Intestinal Integrity Models

“…Thymbra spicata is a thyme-like plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family [ 12 ]. Recently, T. spicata has gained much popularity as a remedy to combat different metabolic disorders [ 34 ]. A protective role of T. spicata was also reported as it was used as an anti-genotoxic [ 35 ] and anti-coagulant agent [ 36 ].…”

Exogenous Putrescine Changes Biochemical (Antioxidant Activity, Polyphenol, Flavonoid, and Total Phenol Compounds) and Essential Oil Constituents of Salvia officinalis L.

“…The plants of this family are used as spices, antivirals, preservatives, ornamental, medicinal, and food. [2] The mint family is widely distributed around the world. In the Mediterranean region, [2] this family has a large amount of medicinal and aromatic plants, which has caused the economic prosperity of this region.…”

“…Among the medicinal plants, the mint family is the most critical and prominent family, with more than 7000 species. The plants of this family are used as spices, antivirals, preservatives, ornamental, medicinal, and food [2] . The mint family is widely distributed around the world.…”

“…The mint family is widely distributed around the world. In the Mediterranean region, [2] this family has a large amount of medicinal and aromatic plants, which has caused the economic prosperity of this region. Salvia officinalis (Sage) is one of the most valuable plants of this genus, which has been widely used in traditional medicine, cosmetics, perfumery, and health industries since long ago [3] .…”