## 1 Introduction  
Excessive body fat causing overweight and obesity is a major pandemic this century, with over a third of adults affected worldwide [1; 2; 3]. When fat is stored in excess, over time it can cause numerous non-communicable diseases including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart disease, and cancer [4]. While there are numerous pharmaceuticals to treat obesity, these are not without important side effects. Therefore, discovering natural alternatives and taking preventive measures before the excess body weight progresses to further health complications is a growing trend [5].  
To this end, plant polyphenols have been found to possess numerous health benefits, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-lipogenic and anti-glycemic effects [6; 7]. For example, plant extracts such as _Hibiscus sabkariffa_ and _Lippia cirridora_ have been found to be capable of modulating AMPK activation pathways [8; 9]. Previous evidence has suggested that the activation of the energy sensor AMPK can be a therapeutic target for obesity. For example, AMPK activation can reduce LDL cholesterol and fatty acid synthesis [10; 11]. Also, it can modulate lipid accumulation, reduce oxidative stress and block inflammatory adipokines [12; 13]. In this sense, there are numerous studies, both preclinical and clinical, that have shown how the combination of these extracts can contribute to reducing body fat, which in turn causes weight loss [14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22]. A study performed in mice demonstrated that while both hibiscus and lemon verbena extracts, standardized in anthocyanins and verbascoside, respectively, were capable of increasing AMPK activation, the combination of these two further increased its activation over six-fold that of the individual extracts, suggesting a synergistic effect [16]. Furthermore, studies have revealed beneficial effects in lowering blood pressure, cholesterol and decreasing appetite, mainly by modulating the satiety-inducing hormone GLP-1.  
However, the effects of the ingredient have been clinically tested only with a 500 mg daily dose. While the ingredient has been shown to be safe and effective at the dose used, there are several reasons that the use of a lower dose may be more favorable. For example, a higher dose would mean more capsules to take daily or a higher quantity of ingredient to add to the final formula, which can cause pill fatigue and patients to stop treatment before it is effective. Also, understanding the effects of the ingredient at different doses can allow for a more personalized approach to the treatment, where a specific dose can be recommended based on the patient's objective with the product.  
To this end, the objective of this study was to assess if this botanical blend may have certain benefits when taken at a lower dose, in this case 300 mg. The benefits in using a lower dose reside in reducing the number of capsules to take daily (and thus avoiding pill fatigue and therefore increasing compliance), while also providing a more personalized solution, as depending on the results of the study and the consumer's expectations of the product, a specific dose may be recommended to the consumer.