Does Hoodia Gordonii Work? A Hoodia Review

Hoodia Gordonii - The Facts

Everywhere people are wondering: does Hoodia gordonii work? Here are the basic facts. Hoodia is a genus of succulent plants. One of the species within this genus is the Hoodia gordonii. Although it looks like a cactus it actually isn't a cactus but rather a succulent. It is found in the Kalahari Desert of Africa.

The reason that Hoodia is garnering so much attention is its amazing abilities as an appetite suppressant. It has been covered in recent years by such news outlets as the BBC, 60 Minutes, ABC and many more. Although found only in the Kalahari desert, it is now being marketed in pill, capsule, liquid, powder and even tea forms as an appetite suppressant to assist with weight loss. The question remains, though, does Hoodia gordonii work?

For people in the west, it seems that Hoodia gordonii is recent discovery. However, the San of South Africa and the Kalahari have been using Hoodia as an appetite suppressant for millennia! Life can be hard in the Kalahari, and food can often be hard to come by. To help fight off hunger cravings the Bushmen would eat off the Hoodia gordonii to help kee them satisfied while out on long hunting trips. Some research suggests the San have also used Hoodia for other ailments as well, including diabets, hemmorhoids, abdominal cramps, tuburculosis and more.

The use of Hoodia Gordonii by the Bushmen was first noticed by a Dutch anthropologist back in 1937. However, it wasn't until the 1960's that South Africa's national laboratory, CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) began investigating Hoodia Gordonii to see just what it did and how it worked. In their original trials they found that the answer to the question, does Hoodia Gordonii work? was yes! Animals tested in fact actually lost weight after eating Hoodia Gordonii.

Later on CSIR began working with the British company Phytopharm, and together they isolated the active ingredient in Hoodia Gordonii which they named P-57. CSIR licensed use of P-57 to Phytopharm and they have so far spent over $20 million in research on the workings of the plant.

Although temporarily the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, best known for its Viagra product, had sub-licensed rights to P-57 for use in developing a new drug, those rights were recently released back to Phytopharm who are currently working with another company Unilever in developing a new drug based on P-57.

Does Hoodia Gordonia Work? What You Need to Know

Evidence so far shows Hoodia gordonii seems to be an appetite suppressant.
A lot of the hype that surrounds Hoodia began with the 60 Minutes special that aired in November of 2004. Respected journalist Leslie Stahl actually travelled to Africa and hired local Bushmen to take them into the desert and show them this Hoodia plant. Stahl ate some of the Hoodia gordonii and described its effects for the show. In conclusion she reported "I'd have to say it did work." She noted a reduction in appetite that lasted for an entire day, without any ill side effects.

Several animal studies have been done, and it has been estimated that Hoodia reduces the intake of calories in animals between 30 and 50%. Good for the animals, they don't have to think how to get rid of cellulite :)