One of the newest diet wonders of the world is Hoodia Gordonii. 

It has been shown on most news shows and has had its share of publicity in major magazines as well as newspapers.  Hoodia comes from South Africa and is a cactus like plant.  It is grown mainly in semi deserts such as those found in Nambia, Botswana and Angola.  It has just come to light over the last several years that Hoodia is being marketed for weight loss purposes for its amazing ability to curb ones appetite.

Hoodia was used by the San Bushmen of the Kalahari for thousands of years to help them when they were on their long hunting trips to help keep their hunger and thirst in check.  They simply took parts of the plant and cut off the stems so they could eat the bitter plant.  Hoodia is often mistaken for a cactus but it really is a juicy plant with amazing capabilities.

Hoodia actually takes about 5 years to mature to where the pale purple flowers come out.  This is when the plant can be harvested and put to use in diet products.  There is actually thirteen different types of Hoodia but there is only one part or active ingredient that works its magic and that is called p57.  It is a steroidal glycoside that is only found in Hoodia Gordonii.

It was in 1937 that it was discovered that the San Bushmen used the plant to keep their hunger away.  It wasn’t until 1963 that studies were performed on lab animals proving that the animals that were given Hoodia actually lost weight from it.  In 1995 a patent was obtained so the South Africa scientists could work with a British company named Phytopharm to isolate the p57 ingredient.

Today there are many products on the market claiming to have Hoodia Gordonii in it.  Now there is no surefire way to prove that prior to purchasing the product and therefore there are many fraud diet products on the market that claim to contain Hoodia Gordonii.  The only way to tell for sure if a diet product contains Hoodia is to have it tested by an independent lab.

Most of the companies that produce Hoodia based diet supplements claim that there are no side effects but there are a few things that you should keep in mind.  Since Hoodia makes the body believe that it has enough sugar it may not be a good idea for those with diabetes to use it.  You also want to be cautious as it also keeps thirst at bay and you do not want to get dehydrated from using it.  Be sure to keep up your intake of fluids while using products that contain Hoodia.

Hoodia pills are a great addition to any diet and they can greatly increase your chances of weight loss if used correctly.  As with any diet, be sure to check with your doctor to be sure that this is something that is right for you.