Phytotherapeutic Potential of Achyranthes aspera in Obesity and Dyslipidemia: A Comprehensive Review

Obesity is a complex, multifactorial disease that occurs due to genetic predispositions, environmental factors, and epigenetic modifications that interact to disrupt in the metabolic homeostasis and promote adipose tissue accumulation. The existing treatment methods such as lifestyle modification, pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery achieve variable efficacy but are largely limited due to their inability to maintain weight over the long term, their lack of availability, and safety concerns. Achyranthes aspera a commonly used traditional medicinal herb rich in bioactive saponins, polysaccharides and flavonoids and alkaloids has emerged as a promising candidate for safe, multi-targeted obesity management. Evidence from diverse experimental models such as diet and monosodium glutamate induced obesity, hyperlipidemia, and fructose-driven metabolic syndrome demonstrates the antiobesity potential and mechanistic basis of A. aspera. Across studies employing ethanolic and aqueous extracts of seeds, leaves, aerial parts, and saponin-enriched fractions, A. aspera consistently reduced body weight gain, visceral adiposity, and adipocyte hypertrophy while correcting dyslipidemia by lowering serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL/VLDL and increasing HDL. Mechanistic studies suggest that these effects are due to several complementary pathways including inhibition of pancreatic lipase and α-amylase, disruption of micelle formation and bile acid recycling that increases fecal lipid excretion, modulation of appetite and feed efficiency, and the restoration of antioxidant defenses with associated hepatoprotection. A combination of ethnopharmacological, mechanistic, and histopathological evidence collectively positions A. aspera as a promising phytotherapeutic candidate.