Safety of herbal medicine for weight loss

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a common health problem in both developed and developing countries. There are many unconventional therapies, including herbal medicine, to treat this condition. Some people believe that herbal medicines are safe. This case and review is about adverse complication of treating obesity with some herbal medicine. CASE REPORT: A ۱۹ year old male with sever obesity (۱۲۰ kg) used green tea (۱۵ cups of green tea per day) and an intensive dietary regimen to lose weight. He lost ۳۰ kg after ۲ months. At that time, one day after usual exercise he suddenly lost consciousness due to left ventricular fibrillation. CONCLUSION: Use of herbal medicine for weight reduction is not always safe. Moreover, for some herbal medicine the risk is sufficient to shift the risk–benefit balance against the use that medicine.   Keywords: Herbal Medicine, Sudden Death, Complication, Obesity