My wife's aunt just reached her weight loss goal of losing 120lbs. She uses herbal magic. What's the theory behind how it works and what's your opinion on it. I've read some stuff on the net but they are so jaded, I can't make heads or tails of it.

The herbs increase the profit margin of the centers. Weight loss is achieved by their dietary changes and activity increases that are part of the program. "Herbal" goes over big with the distaff side and as you note is a very fuzzy subject with a lot of smoke and mirrors.
Steve

Eat less, exercise more. It's all the rage.

Herbal "supplements" are a lot of things.
1. NO proven efficacy in clinical trials and preclinical studies, unlike drugs
2. NO standards in manufacturing such as ISO or GMP as is required of drugs
3. NO toxicology studies done in either rodents, non-human primates or humans as is required of drugs
4. NO review by the FDA, unlike drugs

And if you are concerned about the side effects of drugs tested and manufactured by pharmaceutical companies, that DO meet these standards and spend hundreds of millions to do it, you should be pi$$ing in your pants about herbal supplements.

Literally, someone could sell you dog p00p in a gelcap for $29.99 call it Mua Ha Ding Dong for Cyclists and there is nothing to stop them, until a few people start dying that is.

I suspect your wife's aunt is a very atypical example of the average person's experience with a product named "Herbal Magic". Most likely she has been highly motivated to change her eating and/or excersise habits which are the real reason for her weight loss success.

Anyone who came up with a product that would safely cause people to lose large amounts of excess weight without otherwise changing their lifestyle would be high on the list of Nobel nominees.