The prevalence of excessive body weight has rapidly increased worldwide over the past decades; however, medications are intended for moderately and severely obese patients and are associated with side effects. As an alternative approach, the use of traditional herbal medicines has
A species of hawthorn, Crataegus mexicana (tejocote), has been marketed as a weight-loss supplement that is readily available for purchase online. While several hawthorn species have shown clinical benefit in the treatment of heart failure owing to their positive inotropic effects,
Over-the-counter supplements, such as Alipotec which often purported to amplify weight loss and readily available in naturopathic shops, can have clinically significant patient outcomes including severe cytopenia, and even inducing immune thrombocytopenic purpura.