Hoodia Gordonii

Rajgopal Venkataraman asked:


Obesity is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular morbidity and mortality in the developed world. Whilst some cases are primarily due to genetics, majority of the obesity cases are due to lifestyle factors. Over-eating and a sedentary life has resulted in an explosion of this pandemic globally. A panacea for obesity has been the holy grail for many pharmaceutical companies the world over. The weightloss industry is set to be a 150 billion dollar industry in the coming years.

Whilst there is no denying the fact that exercise and a good diet remains the cornerstone for arresting the spread of obesity there is also a definite role for weightloss medications as an add-on measure for the many who just cannot get rid of excess fat. There are several weightloss medications that have been tested and tried. Some have fallen by the wayside and some are still struggling to establish a foothold. One of the major hurdles in developing a medication for effective and safe weightloss seems to be the areas of the brain that are involved in the phenomenon of obesity. The Hypothalamus is the center for hunger, appetite and satiety. A drug that effectively works at the hypothalamic level is bound to also have additional side effects. At a peripheral level a drug can inhibit the absorption of dietary fat in the intestines much like the prescription drug Xenical does. Whatever the weightloss medication there seems to be side effects with all of them. One must remember that weightloss cannot be achieved overnight and is not possible with just some designer drugs. Weightloss needs a coordinated approach directed towards calorie intake, exercise and possibly medications.

This post is primarily directed towards one product that has created a stir in the obesity segment. Hoodia is the latest catch-phrase in the weightloss industry today and many people are already hooked onto its amazing ability to suppress appetite. Long-term studies are necessary before one can conclusively label it as the ‘miracle pill’ for weightloss.

What exactly is Hoodia? Hoodia is a succulent plant growing in the arid Kalahari Desert in South Africa. For centuries the San Bushmen have been chewing on this plant to suppress appetite and thirst while on hunting expeditions and in times of food scarcity. Hoodia has the ability to fool your brain into believing that you are full and helps you to stay full faster!

How exactly does Hoodia work? The Hypothalamus in the human brain has nerve cells that are stimulated by glucose molecules. These cells are stimulated every time we eat and then they switch off the center for hunger leading to a feeling of fullness. Hoodia is 100000 times more powerful than Glucose and the result is that it fools these nerve cells into believing that you are full even though you have not eaten and nor do you want to eat! Hoodia works by suppressing appetite naturally.

How safe is Hoodia? The majority of the available weightloss drugs have either fallen by the wayside or have been limited in their use because of potentially harmful side effects. Hoodia is 100% natural, 100% ephedrine-free, 100% Caffeine-free and has no synthetic agents. Hoodia is not a stimulant and is not known to be associated with any unwanted effects. The bushmen of Kalahari do mention that Hoodia has got some aphrodisiac properties.

How effective is Hoodia? While it is too early to say about the effectiveness of Hoodia one can safely say that any weightloss medication that is deemed to be free from harmful side effects would be an ideal one. Effectiveness comes next. Hoodia may work right away or may take some weeks to show its effects. However one must remember that an effective weightloss regime must include diet control, exercise and medications because Obesity is multifactorial and a multi-dimensional approach is the best.

A word of caution: There are several fake Hoodias doing the rounds and one must not be fooled into buying these fakes. Of the several species of Hoodia, only Hoodia Gordonii subspecies seems to have the appetite suppressant effects. Hoodia is only grown in South Africa and it takes almost 4-5 years for the plant to mature. These plants then have to be processed into a more consumer-friendly preparation like pills or liquid. The active ingredient of Hoodia that seems to suppress appetite is a molecule identified by Phytopharm Laboratories is p57. Pfizer was initially involved with Phytopharm to isolate this molecule but gave up half way because of the impossibilities encountered. Currently available commercial preparations are basically an extract of the plant in the processed form and is not the isolated p57 moiety.

To summarize:

1. Hoodia reduces the interest in food.

2. Hoodia delays the time after eating before hunger sets in again.

3. Hoodia causes a sense of fullness.

4. Hoodia increases the general well-being.

5. Hoodia seems to be safe and effective at weightloss.

6. Genuine Hoodia should be sought for and fakes should be avoided.

7. The safety and effectiveness of Hoodia has been documented in ‘60 minutes’ on CBS and on BBC networks.

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Benjamin Wise asked:


It was November 21 2004 that CBS 60 minutes aired a show about the amazing plant called Hoodia Gordonii. This was the first time that many people in the US were introduced to this botanical plant. Hoodia today is very well known for its ability to curb appetite and as a result it is being promoted as a natural weight loss supplement.

Hoodia Gordonii is actually an endangered species; it is only available from South Africa where it is tightly controlled. Because of its ability to help with weight loss the product is now in high demand, which unfortunately has brought about a lot of hoodia knock off products. If the hoodia you are buying is produced in a different country do not buy it.

Hoodia in its plant form looks like a cactus, it actually can grow up to one foot in height. There are in fact a variety of hoodia plants but the only one that works for weight loss is called hoodia gordonii.

The fundamental question is how does hoodia work for weight loss. When you take hoodia it starts to work on the area of the brain known as the hypothalamus whose role is to regulate bodily functions, one of those functions being hunger. What it does is make your brain think that you are full even if you haven’t eaten. Basically what it does is control the hunger signal.

What are the side effects of hoodia? Hoodia contains an active ingredient which is called P57. There has been research carried out on obese patients to see what the side effects would be. During that research there were no side effects recorded.

A lot of people were concerned about hoodia due to what happened with Ephedra. The noted difference is this. Hoodia suppresses your appetite where as Ephedra increased your metabolism and at the same time could also increase your heart rate and blood pressure. This is not the case with Hoodia.

Because hoodia suppresses thirst and hunger you must be careful to make sure and drink water as you do not want to get dehydrated. Secondly if you are diabetic it can be dangerous as you may experience a sudden fall in sugar level.

Hoodias reaction with other drugs is not yet known. So if you are on other medication please consult your doctor first. One thing is for sure authentic hoodia is effective for weight loss.

Learn what you need to know about hoodia by selecting the links provided below.

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Jillerz asked:


i’ve researched online and they said that you cant get it from the market, because they have to have a C.I.T.E. and a few other things. so is there really no hoodia in smartburn? It also mentions that it needs to be more than 500 mg of hoodia. thanks.

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Eric Morris asked:


San tribesmen of the Kalahari Desert in South Africa have one of the oldest primitive cultures in existence, maybe as old as 100,000 years. They are hunter-gatherers and go on long hunting expeditions. Given the harsh desert and scarcity of game, they chew on a succulent plant called Hoodia Gordonii to keep off hunger and thirst.

In 1937 a Dutch anthropologist recorded, this fact and in the 1960s CSIR, the South African research council, started a study on the plant. In 1997 CSIR took out a patent on a molecule of Hoodia, named P57, as an aid in weight-loss treatment. In 1998 they made an agreement with a British company, Phytopharm, to test and market the product.

Phytopharm carried out the usual clinical trails of P 57 and announced a very positive result in 2001. In a double-blind study volunteers were given 400mg of dried Hoodia per day. After 15 days they reduced their calorie intake by 1,000 per day. The control group did not show any appreciable reduction.

In the mid-brain hypothalamus there are nerve cells that detect glucose. When we eat, the glucose from food reaches these nerve cells, and they fire signals that make you feel full. The molecule in Hoodia Gordonii P 57 is 10,000 times as active as glucose in making these cells start the signal and make you feel full. This plant has proved to be a natural appetite suppressant, without the side effects of other chemicals that are being used for weight loss treatment.

Unfortunately, Pfizer has given up the attempt to develop a synthetic P 57 as not economical. Despite all the hype of the Hoodia manufacturers, it is simply a natural way of suppressing appetite and nothing more. For a sensible program to lose weight you take it as one aspect of the total. You need to combine it with a nutritious diet, exercise and life-style modification, and each one of these is more important than the appetite suppressant. A sensible weight loss program is one that can be sustained over a long term without undergoing any privations.

Hoodia Gordoni is a very useful supplement during the initial stages of a weight-loss program to shed the extra pounds. But altering behavior patterns can keep those pounds off permanently.

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