What Is Hoodia Gordonii
In recent years, the use of Hoodia Gordonii as a weight loss aid has become quite popular in products around the world. Hoodia Gordonii is a plant native to the semi-deserts of Africa's southern nations, and has been in use there as an appetite suppressant by the indigenous people of what is now known as South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Angola. Since the U.S. Food & Drug Administration banned the use of the drug ephedra in 2004, the public hunger for a new diet pill formula has been noted by manufacturers worldwide. Consumers want the a new formula with the effects of ephedra, without the risks involved.
The History of Hoodia Gordonii
Hoodia Gordonii's appetite suppressing effects were first noted in 1937 during a study of the Kalahari desert's native San Bushmen. The first studies involving Hoodia Gordonii began in 1963, where it was noted that animals seemed to have lost weight during treatment. Reportedly, the San Bushmen have been faithful in their use of this plant for for thousands of years. As hunters and gatherers, the Bushmen would often venture on long hunting trips, where Hoodia Gordonii's appetite and thirst suppressing qualities were blessings. In 1977, the active ingredient in Hoodia Gordonii was isolated by the South African Council for Scientific & Industrial research - p57. It wasn't until 1996, however, that p57 was patented and then research on the effects of p57 in Hoodia Gordonii began.
How Hoodia Gordonii Can Help You Lose Weight
The effects of Hoodia Gordonii in weight loss efforts is all based on what we have studied of the San Bushmen's use of the plant. The use of the plant became more common in weight loss pills, teas, drink powders, and more after an episode of 60 Minutes covered the topic. Correspondent Leslie Stahl and a crew had traveled to South Africa and hired one of the San Bushmen to guide them through the desert, where they would find Hoodia Gordonii in its naturally occurring form and ingest is as the Bushmen do on their hunting expeditions. Stahl reported that she had lost the desire to consume any form of sustenance for the remainder of the day.
There is a lot of doubt regarding how commercial Hoodia Gordonii works in the human body to suppress appetite, and thus a lot of doubt cast on those products boasting Hoodia as part of their ingredients list. There has not been any published, scientific evidence supporting the claims of weight loss products that Hoodia Gordonii works in these commercial forms.
The San Bushmen, and Ms. Stahl, have shown the world that consuming Hoodia Gordonii in its naturally occurring form does indeed suppress the appetite. Commercial Hoodia is often made in labs using clones of DNA strains and other advanced sciences to recreate the plants, and no studies have been shown that the active ingredients are not being diluted during this process. While no adverse effects have been shown to be caused by the use of Hoodia, it really has not been available in Europe and North America long enough for a conclusion to be made as to whether its use as a diet aid is safe or effective.
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