When I walked into the office yesterday, a few of my staff members were reading the letter I sent you about my trip to Bali. It caused a stir here, but not the way I was expecting.
Let me tell you what happened when I sat down to a meeting with three men from my research team…
It could be from a lot of different factors, but there’s one that really catches my attention.
“I was very surprised. I didn’t expect to feel anything different, but it puts some pep in my step. Did that happen to you?”
I looked around at the three researchers. Two of them looked down at their notes and the third one glanced out the window.
But I guessed wrong.
I looked around at the three researchers. Two of them looked down at their notes and the third one glanced out the window.
J.W. broke the awkward silence first. But he lowered his voice so much I had to lean forward to hear him. “You know, it surprised me too. I take it every day right before lunch and then I have more energy for the afternoon. I even lost a couple pounds already.”
M.M. chimed in. “I’ve been taking it mid-morning, for the same reason. It helps me get going for the day, and it keeps me from snacking before lunch.”
K.D. nodded, and told me he and S.S. had a laugh when they saw each other pull out a bottle of it. “We both tried it. The energy boost was like a secret advantage you didn’t tell us about.”
I’m glad I asked, or I never would have known that all the men in the office were hiding Bali Slim in their desk drawers and taking it on the sly. This was news to me. Typically it’s only the women in the office who will admit to wanting to drop a few pounds.
When I designed the Bali Slim formula, I chose herbs that would accelerate fat burning and take your mind off hunger. I included Caralluma fimbriata for starters. It’s a cactus that tribal hunters in India carry with them on long hunting trips. They use it to suppress their appetite and give them the stamina to get through the trip.
But I wasn’t thinking about the energizing effect when I chose it, because I’ve never felt much of a boost from other fat-burning herbs I’ve tried.
The herbs in Bali Slim surprised me. It turns out that the thermogenic effect is so powerful, you can feel it working as the body breaks down fat and converts it into energy.
Then you can use that extra energy to get results faster. For me, it helps motivate me to increase the intensity of my P.A.C.E. sessions.
If you want to feel this effect for yourself, here’s what you can try…
- Sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera). This Balinese herb helps fight fat in two ways: It breaks down stored fat and slows down the creation of new fat cells.
How to use it: You can get it as a powder and make a tea with it, or boil it down to make a decoction. Look for powder that’s made from the flower and the leaves. You can also use the whole fresh flowers as a garnish for your soups and main dishes, like they do in Bali.
- Turmeric (Curcuma longa). You may already know this is a thermogenic spice that can boost metabolism. But that’s not all. It can also suppress the growth of fat cells.
How to use it: One of the easiest things you can do is cook with it! I mix up different combinations of turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, paprika, cumin and garlic and use it as a dry rub for lamb and chicken. You can also throw a teaspoon of turmeric into your pan when you’re sautéing vegetables to give them a little kick. If you want to take it as a supplement, look for a 4:1 standardized extract from the root.
- Evodia fruit (Evodia rutaecarpa). Not too many people seem to know about this fruit. It has a “heating” effect similar to capsaicin, the compound that makes peppers hot. It signals the body to use up food energy by creating heat, instead of storing that energy as fat. In animal studies, researchers could measure this increase in body temperature.
How to use it: Evodia fruit has a strong, bitter taste, so it’s not one I recommend eating. You can get the main active component, evodiamine, as a supplement without worrying about the taste. It comes as a powder that you dissolve in hot water. You might see it labeled as Wu Chu Yu or Wu Zhu Yu, the names used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Or, you can get all of these herbs together in one place in my Bali Slim formula.
P.S. Did you hear about my latest project? I’m launching a new monthly newsletter in two weeks called Confidential Cures: Your Guide to Truth and Lies in Medicine From Around the World. You’ll get access to exclusive features every month, and be the first to see even more stories about my travels and benefit from the ultimate goal of my life’s work – to bring forgotten cures and healing secrets back for you. Click here to be the first to sign up. You’ll get a special offer for Doctor’s House Call readers only, plus bonuses that are not available anywhere else.
1. Bin X, et al, “Nelumbo nucifera alkaloid inhibits 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation and improves … body fat accumulating in rats,” Journal of Medicinal Plants Research. 2011; 5(10):2021–28.
2. Ono Y, et al, “Anti-obesity effect of Nelumbo nucifera leaves extract in mice and rats.” J Ethnopharmacol. 2006 Jun 30;106(2):238-44.
3. Grossman A, “Turmeric Extract Suppresses Fat Tissue Growth in Rodent Models,” Tufts University, news.tufts.edu. May 18, 2009.
4. Kobayashi Y, et al, “Capsaicin-like anti-obese activities of evodiamine from fruits of Evodia rutaecarpa, a vanilloid receptor agonist,” Planta Med. 2001;67(7):628-33.