All you need to know about Hoodia Gordonii

Hoodia - is cactus like plant. Hoodia is majorly found growing in the semi-deserts of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Angola. It has become very popular in recent years and is heavily marketed for weight loss

Some of the most popular weight loss supplements today are Hoodia diet pills, so are they actually effective? Don’t fall for the general presumption that all you have to do is pop a few pills daily and the fat will just disappear. Although many claim that to be the case, so, its very important to understand how diet pills work, and consider them secondary to well thought out diet plans.

Hoodia's popularity stems mainly from tales of the San Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert. They are said to have relied for many centuries on hoodia to ward off hunger and thirst during long hunting trips by cutting off the stem and eating the bitter-tasting plant.

hoodia gordonii's purple flowers sprout after around 5 years, it is only then that, the plant can be usefully harvested. There are many species of Hoodia, around 13 types. The only active ingredient identified so far is a steroidal glycoside called"p57. As of now, only hoodia gordonii is known to contain p57.

Hoodia extracted from immature plants would test positive for Hoodia gordonii but lack enough P57 to effectively suppress appetite. Additionally, when exposed to sunlight or is dried in sunlight, Hoodia loses its strength. Watch out for companies which harvest the Hoodia gordonii extract too early. Obviously they're more interested in your money than your goals.

Despite its popularity, there are no scientifically conducted published trials in humans that show hoodia is in fact safe or even effective in pill form.

One study that was published in the September 2004 issue of Brain Research states that when injections of p57 were made into the appetite centre of rat brains, it resulted in altered levels of ATP. ATP is an energy molecule that could affect hunger. The test animals receiving the P57 injections did also ate less than other rats that were given placebo injections. This was however an animal study and injections to the brain are different from consumption, so it can’t be used to state that oral hoodia can actually suppress appetite in humans.

There are extensive reports of fake hoodia products released into the market. Mike Adams of News Target, estimated that 80% of hoodia based products are either contaminated or counterfeit. It's not possible to tell if a hoodia product actually contains pure hoodia and the active ingredient, unless it is tested in an independent laboratory.

Most sites that push information about Hoodia are very likely created by companies selling hoodia. They explain why hoodia in other competing products is inferior, although there are no published reports showing that one is more effective than the other. So be very careful in dealing with them.