Health, Weightloss and Diet Information

Hoodia Gordonii is a leafless, spiky succulent in the family Asclepiadaceae found in the semi deserts of Botswana, Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, in particular, the Kalahari desert, home of the San People. Being a succulent it is technically different from a cactus, and it is also know by the name “Xhoba”.

Hoodia gordonii is one of many species in the Hoodia genus and it takes a trained botanist or San collector to be able to distinguish species without looking at the flower. It is part of a genus that has other Hoodia species which do not contain the much sought after active ingredient present, P57 that occurs in Hoodia gordonii.

Hoodia’s popularity stems from claims that the tribemen of the Kalahari desert relied on hoodia for thousands of years to ward off hunger and thirst during long hunting trips. Hoodia Gordonii is not a drug and does not have the unpleasant side effects of a drug.

Weight Loss

The only way you’re going to lose weight is to eat less.

Derivatives of the Hoodia Cactus have been used for many centuries by the African people for weight and appetite control however have only become known to the general public only a few years back when it was published on TV in BBC News and “60 Minutes” at around the same time.

This unique property has led to the successive research studies on extracting the active component of the plant and developing it into the world’s safest weight loss/diet supplement.

South African scientists have been testing the Hoodia plant since 1996 when they discovered the plant contained a previously unknown molecule, dubbed P57 by Britain’s leading pharmaceutical researcher Phytopharm, that replicates the effect glucose has on nerve cells in the brain fooling the body into thinking it is full, even when it is not. Hoodia Gordonii is completely natural and has not shown to have any side effects in the studies conducted.

This unique property of the plant has raised interest in the pharmaceutical community for the development of a safe and effective food supplement for weight loss.

This created a new buzz in the weight loss market with people who were hungry for new weight loss supplements after their loss of Ephedra a few months before.

Kalahari

Since Hoodia Gordonii can only be found in the Kalahari desert of South Africa, so to satisfy the current demands drug companies are performing experiments to try to synthetically create the active ingredient, the appetite suppressing part of Hoodia Gordonii in the lab.

Therefore the native Hoodia Gordonii plants growing on the San Bushmen’s land are the only source of this much sought after weight loss supplement.

The San (“Kalahari Bushman”) have used Hoodia Gordonii stems to stave off hunger and thirst when on long hunting journeys, as it acts as an appetite suppressant.

The Active Ingredient, P57

Research of the Hoodia Gordonii and its active ingredient P57 officially started in 1937 where a Dutch scientist first noted that bushmen who ate Hoodia Gordonii had the ability to suppress their hunger and thirst.

Of all the 500 varieties that grow in Africa only the specific variant called Hoodia Gordonii has the active ingredient P57 which works as an appetite suppressant.

It was then South African scientists, working with a British company named Phytopharm, who isolated what they believed to be an active ingredient in hoodia gordonii, a steroidal glycoside, which they named p57.

Recently, Pfizer, who developed Viagra, has invested approximately $21 million for the right to develop the active ingredient, P57 which mimics the effects that glucose (it is ten thousand times as active as glucose) has on the brain.

Summary

Hoodia gordonii is completely natural; it is not a drug like most diet pills. It is not a stimulant as you might think, and has no known side effects that have been encountered. It is not a fat burner, it is not a carbblocker or a pharmaceutical cocktail of chemicals.

Pharmaceutical companies are trying to duplicate the active ingredient, P57, so that they can patent it for use in the burgeoning weight control industry.

Hoodia gordonii is very rare and is protected by national conservation laws in South Africa and Namibia. .

Hoodia gordonii is now accepted as a remarkable weight loss product that can effectively aid one to lose weight and feel great again. Read the rest of this entry »

You must have heard of African hoodia cactus also popularly known as Xshoba or xhooba? It is a popular African herb which was used by xSan Bushmen in treatment of diseases like indigestion and skin infections. It was also used by people during long hunts for suppressing appetite as well as thirst. Xshoba is just like a cactus plant which is found in the Kalahari Desert. Its botanical name is hoodia gordonii. It is one of the beautiful species of cactus plant with pale purple colored flowers.

Nature’s gift to mankind

Few years back, Phytopharm went ahead to study the nature and chemistry of this nature’s beautiful gift. For doing their research, they had to create vast plantations in South Africa. They encountered various problems in their attempt to commercially cultivate the African hoodia cactus. The major problem that was experienced was inadequacy of the temperature needed for growing the African hoodia cactus as this plant requires temperature that is usually found in hot deserts. Moreover, it takes around four to five years for this to grow fully into a mature plant.

Hence, because of these major problems, the cultivation of Xshoba cactus plants became limited and was pronounced as a protected species. The government of South Africa restricted its harvesting. These days there are various supplements available that contains this plant’s nutrients in powdered as well as concentrated forms.

Popularity amongst dieters

The African hoodia cactus is most popular amongst dieters as hoodia Diet pills are considered effective as appetite suppressant. Masses have found hoodia Diet pills as an efficient way for gradual weight loss. There are as many as twenty diversities of hoodia species but hoodia gordonii is only used as the appetite suppressant. It is recommended to dieters to take enough water while taking hoodia appetite suppressant.

Today, there are many companies that have lined up a variety of hoodia products in the market but it is always recommended to buy original products from a good and reputable supplement producing company.

African hoodia cactus is nature’s beautiful gift to mankind that comes with various health supplements for us. So, if it is harvested and used in the right way, we can reap lots of benefits from it. Read the rest of this entry »

Can Hoodia Gordonii pills really help you lose weight ? It’s the newest catch phrase in the weight loss industry today. Everyone wants to be in on the secret, and still more are wondering about this miraculous plant. What does it do, how can it help you lose weight, and why wasn’t it heard of before? Well, some of it appears to be true, however there is more to weight loss than just taking a pill.

What is Hoodia Gordonii?

Hoodia is a succulent that looks like a cactus. It has been described as a somewhat bitter-tasting cucumber that thrives in extremely hot, dry weather and takes 5-7 years to reach maturity. Hoodia grows in the Kalahari Desert region of South Africa, as well as the countries of Botswana, Namibia and Angola. It is said that for generations the San Bushmen, tribesmen native to the regions Hoodia grows, have removed the skin and spines of Hoodia prior to consumption as a way to curb their hunger and thirst during nomadic hunting trips.

Hoodia gordonii is a cactus-like plant in Kalahari Desert of South Africa. This plant was used for centuries by San people. They used to eat this cucumber looking plant in order to suppressed their hunger when out for hunting. Due to this fact, scientists made research and tested p57 to rats and found out that those rats with p57 eat less and decreased in weight than to those who were not.

How Hoodia Gordonii Works

The active ingredient in Hoodia Gordonii is a molecule known as P57. P57 copies the effect that glucose has on your brain, telling your brain that you feel full.

The hypothalamus is the part of the human brain that controls your appetite. When you eat, glucose levels in your body rise. As your blood glucose levels increase, the hypothalamus sends a signal out to get you to slow down and stop eating. Hoodia Gordonii’s molecule P57 fools the hypothalamus into sending messages to eat less. It therefore helps prevent overeating, you eat less and lose weight.

Hoodia gordonii is truly remarkable in fighting obesity since it can reduce about 1000 calories on the 15th day if you took it daily. So it can truly fight morbid obesity. But of course, one should take hoodia gordonii properly. Use it as it is directed, never overuse it. One should follow direction in using hoodia gordonii in order to gain best results.

Here are some key points about hoodia that you need to know:

Hoodia gordonii looks like a cactus, but it’s actually a succulent from the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. Bushmen from the area have been using hoodia for centuries to help ward off hunger during long trips in the desert. # Key results of hoodia reported include a reduced interest in food, delay in the time after eating before hunger sets in again, feeling full more quickly, and a general feeling of well-being # Hoodia gordonii is not a stimulant, and has no known side effects. # Hoodia appears to be safe for most people. Read the rest of this entry »

Being 280lbs and only 5’7″ tall hasn’t been easy for me. I have never been able to participate in sports or any other strenuous activities for that matter. Some people might say that I used my weight issues as an excuse to never do anything worthwhile in my life. But I can honestly say that it wasn’t that I didn’t want to change, I just didn’t know how to do it.

I’ve come to realize that dieting is more of a state of mind than anything. I think I’ve tried just about every diet under the sun, with little or no results. I can’t tell you how discouraging it has really been for me but I will say that things have absolutely changed for me over the past year.

A good friend of mine that also has had weight issues as well told me to try Hoodia Gordonii last year. Now let me just say, I was skeptical at first but I decided to give it a try. I figured I had nothing to lose at this point. In the first two months of using Hoodia, I was able to trim down to 255lbs. Since then, I have made steady progress towards my goal of 220lbs. I know 220lbs still sounds like a lot but for me, I think it’s a realistic challenge.

Today, nearly one year after starting a daily regimen of Hoodia, I have not only achieved my goals, I have also been able to keep the weight off. The biggest benefit of using Hoodia has been the appetite suppression it gives me. I’m simply not hungry like I used to be. I can remember the times when I felt like I was going to die if I didn’t eat something, but now I don’t have those feelings. Using Hoodia has been a completely positive experience for me. I’m sure if you are reading this, you might be wondering if Hoodia can work for you and I’m here to show you that I am living proof that it works and it can work for you too. Read the rest of this entry »