What is Hoodia - facts you should know about hoodia

Latin Name: Hoodia
Other Names: hoodia, khoba ,xhooba, Ghaap, hoodia cactus, South African desert cactus.

Hoodiagordonii (pronounced HOO-dee-ah) Hoodia gordonii is a suculente plant from the botanical family Asclepiadaceae.

This succulent plant has a spiny appearance resembling a cactus plant , and can be found primarily in the semi-deserts of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola.

Heavily marketed in the weight loss world, this hoodia weight loss pills has been has become immensely popular the last few years. Although there hasalways been a demand for diet pills, after the ban on the herb ephedra, the market was particularly ripe for the next new diet pill.

During long hunting trips, the San Bushmen of the Kalahari desert relied on hoodia for thousands of years to fight off hunger and thirst .

They did this by cutting off the stem and eating the bitter-tasting plant. Hoodia gordonii grows in clumps of green upright stems.

Often called african hoodia cactus because its close resemblace, hoodia is actually a Succulent. It takes about five years before hoodia gordonii's pale purple flowers appear and the plant can be harvested.

There are over 13 types of hoodia. The only active ingredient identified so far is a steroidal glycoside that has been called "p57". Currently, only hoodia gordonii is thought to contain p57.

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What is the History of Hoodia Gordonii?

In 1937, a Dutch anthropologist researching the San Bushmen noted that they used hoodia gordonii to suppress their appetite. In 1963, scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa's national laboratory, began studying hoodia.They claimed that lab animals lost weight after they were given hoodia gordonii. South African scientists, working with a British company named Phytopharm, isolated what they believed to be an active ingredient in hoodia gordonii, a steroidal glycoside, which they named p57. In 1995, After obtaining a patent, they licensed p57 to Phytopharm. Phytopharm has spent more than $20 million on hoodia research. Eventually pharmaceutical giant Pfizer learned about hoodia and expressed interest in developing a hoodia drug. In 1998, Phytopharm sub-licensed the rights to develop p57 to Pfizer for $21 million. Pfizer returned the rights to hoodia to Phytopharm, who is now working with Unilever.

 

Hoodia Report aired by 60 Minutes.

CBS 60 Minutes aired a program about Hoodia Gordonii and for the first time many people were introduced to this incredible botanical.

While everyone's story may may differ somewhat, the overall message is the same-

Hoodia gives you back control over your hunger. With that it allows you to eat less and make better choices about what you eat.

Potential Side Effects of Hoodia

There are some potential side effects of hoodia that you should become aware of. Hoodia's Side Effects and Safety Concerns?

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How hoodia suppresses your Appetite

What evidence is there that Hoodia works as an appetite suppressant? How is hoodia suppressing your hunger?

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