The Hoodia Plant
The Hoodia Miracle Weight Loss Plant
Have you ever heard about the African hoodia plant and its amazing diet qualities? The hoodia is a plant whose almost-magical weight loss properties are being touted and hyped all over the world. The claim is that the hoodia plant is a natural appetite suppressant which allows the user to enjoy easy weight loss. Where does this seeming miracle hoodia plant come from?
The hoodia plant is one of the 13 species that belong to the Apocynaceae family of flowering plants. The actual hoodia plant is classified as a succulent, or more appropriately a stem succulent, because of its water-storing abilities similar to a cactus. In fact, hoodia is often described as being cactus-like in shape, although hoodia and cacti are not related.
The hoodia plant can grow over three feet high. They have large colorful flowers. The desirable variety are the African desert species, ranging from the Namib Desert to the south of Angola. Some people cultivate species of hoodia as garden plants. The species that has potential as an appetite suppressant is the hoodia gordonii plant.
The bushmen of Southern Africa have long used the hoodia plant as a home remedy to fight infections and digestive problems. The active ingredient in hoodia that causes the appetite suppression is called P57. It was first isolated and patented by the CSIR - the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. Major drug companies received licenses to attempt to create a synthetic form of the hoodia active ingredient.
Media coverage of the hoodia craze has caused an incredible demand for the hoodia plant. The plant has been declared a protected species in Namibia and other locations where hoodia grows. Because of the scarcity of the plant, and the difficulty synthesizing the active ingredient, many weight loss products claim to contain hoodia when they actually do not. Only the species from South Africa, hoodia gordonii, can lay claim to the weight loss effects.
Unfortunately, there is little scientific evidence that the hoodia plant actually performs as claimed. Users of the hoodia substance report little or no appetite for extended periods of time. This should lead to loss of weight. The consumer is urged to carefully research all claims made by weight loss products that say they contain hoodia. It seems that the world is ready for hoodia, but hoodia is not quite ready for the world.