Hoodia has received a lot of media attention recently. There have been many wild claims about the effectiveness of Hoodia and it’s abilities to help people shed unwanted pounds effortlessly.
Hoodia has been marketed as a miracle weight loss supplement and has become very popular. In order to understand the claims about Hoodia we need to first know a little bit more about it.
What is Hoodia Gordonii?
Hoodia is a cactus like plant that grows in the wild of the Kalahari Desert of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Angola. It is said that the San Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert would use Hoodia to control their appetite and thirst while they went on hunting expeditions. Hoodia may look like a cactus, but it is actually a succulent plant that has pale purple flowers. The ingredient in Hoodia which is said to aid in weight loss is “p57”.
Hoodia first garnered attention in 1937 when a Dutch anthropologist who was studying the San Bushmen tribe noticed that the would eat the plant in order to stave off hunger and control their appetites. A South African laboratory did tests on the Hoodia plant in 1963 and discovered that Hoodia helped lab animals to lose weight.
They discovered that the ingredient in Hoodia that helped with appetite suppression is a steroidal glycoside that they named p57. A lot of money and research has been done to study the effects of p57 Hoodia in relation to weight loss efforts.
Hoodia gained widespread acclaim after it was featured on 60 Minutes. Journalist and correspondent Leslie Stahl went to Africa and tried the plant directly at the source and reported that it did indeed suppress her appetite with no evident side effects.
While it has been documented and reported that Hoodia, as found in the Kalahari Desert of Africa is effective and safe, there is not as much evidence of it’s effectiveness in supplements and pill forms. The problem comes when unscrupulous companies see the Hoodia craze as a way to make a quick profit and sell inferior products that may not contain any Hoodia at all.
Hoodia Health Benefits
Hoodia, in it’s pure state, is a natural product that does not have any known side effects. The health benefits that can be derived from taking Hoodia will be the benefits that a person sees and feels when they lose weight.
Having an excess amount of fat on the body is very unhealthy and puts a lot of stress on the organs of the body. By losing weight using Hoodia it will take that stress off of the body and make the person happier and more confident and self assured.
Hoodia For Losing Weight
Hoodia is effective in helping people to lose weight, but it has to be the right kind of Hoodia. In order for the product to be effective it must contain the ingredient p57. Hoodia is offered in pill or capsule form as well as in powders and chewables to help those people who have a hard time swallowing pills.
Hoodia works by suppressing the appetite and keeping you fuller for longer. When the correct dose of the pill is taken it is said that a person can burn up to one thousand extra calories a day. Hoodia is a natural product so there are no dangerous side effects to worry about.
Does Hoodia Work For Weight Loss?
Whenever a person considers taking a weight loss or diet supplement they always want to know if it works.
Why take something that is a waste of money and doesn’t work?
Scientifically speaking the component p57 which is found in the Hoodia plant is believed to make people feel fuller thereby causing them to eat less food and lose weight. Hoodia sends a signal to the hypothalamus part of the brain which is responsible for giving the body “full” feelings.
In trials that were conducted patients who were given the Hoodia pills ate less than those who were not given the pills even when plenty of food was readily available.
Emotionally Hoodia can help those people who suffer from food addictions by helping them to break their attachments to food. It may also reduce the instances of people eating because they are bored, stressed or sad.
The key to Hoodia working is being sure that the product that is purchased is a pure product with the actual the Hoodia ingredient. One must take a high enough dose, have a pure product to use and follow the direction on the package.
Be the first to comment