The Hoodia Gordonii Plant
Hoodia - A General Overview
If you are among those battling with the problem of obesity/overweight, then in all probability you would have heard or read about Hoodia weight loss supplements. You probably also know that Hoodia is some kind of a natural appetite-suppressant. But apart from that do you really know just what Hoodia is all about? Where it comes from? And how effective it is for weight loss? Well, here is a brief overview about Hoodia.
Just what is Hoodia?
Actually, Hoodia is the botanical name of a genus of cactus-resembling succulent plants that store water in their fleshy stems in order to survive in an extremely arid, desert-like environment. Of the 13 species in the Hoodia genus, the specie Hoodia gordonii - growing mainly in the southern African deserts of Angola, Botswana and Namibia - has been the focus of much scientific research because of its unique appetite-suppressant properties that could be exploited for the treatment of obesity. So much so that today the name Hoodia has become synonymous with Hoodia gordonii.
History of Hoodia
It was in the year 1937 when a Dutch anthropologist visiting the Kalahari Desert noticed that the native San Bushmen consumed the Hoodia gordonii plant (referred to as Xhoba, Ghaap, Ikhoba or Xhooba by the locals) before going on long hunting expeditions, in order to stave off hunger and thirst. To the Bushmen it was always the done thing, a necessity - as normal as drinking water to quench thirst.
The year1963 marked the beginning of the weight loss connection of Hoodia when scientists at the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) laboratory in South Africa observed significant weight loss in lab animals fed with Hoodia gordonii. The study culminated in the identification and isolation of a steroidal glycoside (p57) from Hoodia gordonii in the year 1977. It is this glycoside that is believed to be the active appetite-suppressing ingredient in Hoodia gordonii.
How does Hoodia work?
The key ingredient p57 in Hoodia gordonii appears to trick the hypothalamus part of the brain into believing that the blood glucose levels are adequately high - not low, as they actually are during hunger. As a result the brain doesn’t send any hunger signals, and one doesn’t feel hungry/thirsty for long hours. That is the whole idea behind Hoodia for weight loss - you don’t feel the urge to eat or drink anything for many hours, and if you don’t eat or drink then your calorie intake reduces drastically, resulting in rapid weight loss. This is quite unlike normal fasting for weight loss, where drastic reduction in calorie intake results in sluggish metabolism, defeating the very purpose of fasting.
Any side effects?
Well, the San Bushmen have been using Hoodia for hundreds of years without any side effects. But there is a difference - they consumed it basically to ward off hunger temporarily, not for weight loss. Secondly, they probably had fit, lean muscular bodies without any obesity-related illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, etc. An obese person is likely to be on some or the other medication for such problems too, and so must seek medical advice before popping Hoodia supplements. Extra caution is advised for diabetics. Sometimes dehydration resulting from thirst suppression can also create problems; so don’t miss on drinking water irrespective of whether you feel thirsty or not.
Despite the lack of regulatory FDA approval, Hoodia has gained huge popularity among the common people as well as celebrities, and a number of dietary supplement companies are marketing Hoodia gordonii extracts in the form of hoodia diet pills, powder, liquid, tea, etc. You must be careful about choosing the right brand that contains enough of the active ingredient p57.
Lastly, how about introducing some positive changes in your lifestyle and food habits too to keep obesity at bay?