Weight & metabolism
Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro are being called game-changers, and for some people they can help. But important questions are emerging. Here’s what’s really going on, and the alternatives.
Jean Dow
Medical Herbalist & Functional Medicine Practitioner
If you’ve opened a newspaper, scrolled social media, or spoken to almost anyone about weight loss in the past year, you’ll have heard about GLP-1 medications.
Drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro are being described as “game-changers”, and for some people they absolutely can be helpful, particularly where there is significant metabolic disease or diabetes involved.
But alongside the excitement, there are also important questions emerging. Is appetite suppression really fixing the root cause? What happens when people stop taking them? And are there gentler ways to support the same biology?
This is where herbal and functional medicine perspectives become really interesting.
GLP-1 drugs are not magic. They are working on pathways that already exist in your body. And those pathways can often be supported naturally.
01
GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone released in the gut after eating. It has several important roles:
So essentially, these medications are amplifying the body’s own satiety and blood sugar regulation systems. Which is fascinating, because it means lifestyle, nutrition, microbiome health and herbs can also influence these same mechanisms.
02
While many people do lose weight successfully on GLP-1 medications, there are some growing conversations in both medical and patient communities.
Rapid weight loss can include significant lean muscle reduction. Muscle isn’t just about strength. It is a metabolic organ that regulates blood sugar, inflammation, hormones and ageing processes. Loss of muscle can reduce long-term metabolic resilience.
Studies suggest that many people regain weight when medication is discontinued. This makes sense if the underlying drivers remain: insulin resistance, stress physiology, hormonal shifts, emotional eating patterns and gut microbiome imbalance. Suppressing appetite doesn’t necessarily resolve those root causes.
Commonly reported issues include nausea, reflux, constipation, and reduced appetite to the point of under-eating. For some people this settles, for others it does not.
There are increasing anecdotal reports of reduced enjoyment of food, emotional “flatness”, reduced motivation and loss of pleasure response. We don’t yet fully understand this, but it makes sense biologically because GLP-1 pathways interact with dopamine and reward circuits in the brain. For some individuals this may feel liberating. For others, less so.
03
From a functional medicine perspective, this is the most important question. GLP-1 signalling can be impaired by:
So rather than overriding the system pharmacologically, we can ask: how do we restore the system?
04
Certain gut bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids when they ferment fibre. These compounds directly stimulate GLP-1 release. This is one reason whole-food diets improve appetite regulation over time.
Protein stimulates satiety hormones, including GLP-1. Many people trying to lose weight are actually under-eating protein, which worsens cravings and muscle loss.
Your gut contains bitter receptors similar to those on your tongue. Bitter herbs can stimulate digestive hormones, including incretin pathways such as GLP-1. Traditional herbal medicine has used bitters for centuries, long before we understood the endocrinology. Examples include gentian, dandelion root, artichoke leaf, hops, chamomile and other digestive bitters.
Several herbs influence insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism, supporting the same metabolic landscape. Examples include berberine-containing herbs, cinnamon, gymnema, galega, fenugreek and bitter melon.
Chronic stress raises blood sugar, increases abdominal fat storage, disrupts appetite hormones and drives cravings. Adaptogenic and nervine herbs such as ashwagandha, rhodiola, holy basil, oats and lemon balm can be extremely helpful.
Poor sleep alters hunger hormones, insulin sensitivity and cortisol rhythms. People who are sleep-deprived are biologically driven to eat more. Supporting sleep can therefore indirectly influence weight regulation.
05
One of the biggest differences between drug-centred and functional approaches is the goal. Not simply “eat less”, but rather:
When metabolism improves, weight often follows.
06
GLP-1 medications are not “bad”. For some people they can improve blood sugar control, reduce cardiovascular risk, provide a metabolic reset and help break difficult cycles.
But they are also not the only option. For many people, especially those with mild to moderate metabolic dysfunction, addressing root causes may be both safer and more sustainable long-term.
07
There is no herb that will replicate pharmaceutical GLP-1 drugs exactly. But there are many ways to support the same biology, improve metabolic function, reduce appetite dysregulation and enhance energy and wellbeing, often without the same side-effect profile.
08
Perhaps the most important question isn’t “How do we suppress appetite?” but “Why are so many bodies struggling with metabolism in the first place?”
I would suggest it’s our modern lifestyles. Stress, ultra-processed foods, sleep disruption and sedentary patterns all create physiological conditions that drive weight gain. Herbal and functional medicine aims to change that internal environment.
09
If you’re considering GLP-1 medications, or currently taking them, it can be very helpful to also work on the underlying drivers of metabolic health. Long-term wellbeing rarely comes from a single intervention. It comes from restoring balance across multiple systems, and that is exactly where personalised herbal and functional medicine approaches can shine.
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This article is for general information and isn’t a substitute for personal medical advice. Please don’t start or stop any medication without speaking to a qualified practitioner.
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