Does Hoodia Work?
If you are looking for a way to lose weight then you may have heard of Hoodia and could possibly be asking that question. Does Hoodia work? Let’s take a closer look at this supplement to see if it actually can help you to lose weight.
Hoodia is a cactus that’s causing a stir for its ability to suppress appetite and promote weight loss. 60 Minutes, ABC, and the BBC have all done stories on hoodia. Hoodia is sold in capsule, liquid, or tea form in health food stores and on the Internet. Hoodia gordonii can be found in the semi-deserts of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola. Hoodia grows in clumps of green upright stems and is actually a succulent, not a cactus. It takes about 5 years before hoodia’s pale purple flowers appear and the cactus can be harvested. Although there are 20 types of hoodia, only the hoodia gordonii variety is believed to contain the natural appetite suppressant.
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Although hoodia was “discovered” relatively recently, the San Bushmen of the Kalahari desert have been eating it for a very long time. The Bushmen, who live off the land, would cut off part of the hoodia stem and eat it to ward off hunger and thirst during nomadic hunting trips. They also used hoodia for severe abdominal cramps, haemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, hypertension and diabetes.
In 1937, a Dutch anthropologist studying the San Bushmen noted that they used hoodia to suppress appetite. But it wasn’t until 1963 when scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa’s national laboratory, began studying hoodia. Initial results were promising — lab animals lost weight after taking hoodia.
The South African scientists, working with a British company named Phytopharm, isolated the active ingredient in hoodia, a steroidal glycoside, which they named p57. After getting a patent in 1995, they licensed p57 to Phytopharm. Phytopharm has spent more than $20 million on hoodia research.
Eventually pharmaceutical giant Pfizer caught wind of Hoodia and became interested in developing a Hoodia product.
What you need to know about hoodia
Hoodia appears to suppress appetite. Much of the buzz about hoodia started after 60 minutes correspondent Leslie Stahl and crew traveled to Africa to try hoodia. They hired a local Bushman to go with them into the desert and track down some hoodia. Stahl ate it, describing it as “cucumbery in texture, but not bad.” She lost the desire to eat or drink the entire day. She also didn’t experience any immediate side effects, such as indigestion or heart palpitations. Stahl concluded, “I’d have to say it did work.”
In animal studies, hoodia is believed to reduce caloric intake by 30 to 50 percent. There have also been human trials done on Hoodia where some participants were given Hoodia and others given a placebo. It was found that those participants who were taking the Hoodia did actually lose weight and reported that they were less hungry and as a result consumed less calories. There were no side effects recorded during the trial.
So, does Hoodia work?
As long as you purchase real Hoodia and not a fake Hoodia product, then there is no reason why it won’t help you to lose weight. It has shown to be very successful in many people and is a natural and safe product to use. It is recommended that Hoodia be taken along with a healthy diet and you should start seeing results quite quickly.
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