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What Is Hoodia Gordonii?

Hoodia Gordonii is a cactus that is native to the Kalahari desert in Africa. Hoodia has been heralded as a breakthrough diet aid and appetite suppressant. The active chemical in hoodia has been named P57. Hoodia supposedly works by triggering nerve cells in the hypothalamus and tricking them into thinking that your hunger has been sated. A reporter from 60 Minutes described the taste of the plant as "cucumbery" and stated that the taste test resulted in a lack of hunger throughout the rest of the day.

  1. Research

    • Both the University of Maryland Medical Center and the Mayo Clinic advise consumers to treat hoodia with caution, as more research is needed on the plant. Long-term effects have not been established, and its efficacy is not conclusively proven. The FDA has not evaluated hoodia to determine its safety or purity.

    Pre-existing Conditions

    • Because there is a dearth of conclusive studies on hoodia, it would be wise to discuss taking hoodia with your doctor if you have a pre-existing medical condition. Conditions may include diabetes, an eating disorder, heart problems, or a bleeding disorder. Do not use hoodia if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, as the possible results of this are unknown. Additionally, discuss using hoodia with your doctor if you are on any medications, especially blood-thinning medications.

    Side Effects

    • Although there is an insufficiency of research, as of yet there are no reported side effects from using hoodia. Hoodia itself is not a stimulant, like ephedra, which means that it will not dangerously raise your heart rate. However, it is possible that hoodia can be marketed in a diet pill that includes additional ingredients that do have dangerous side effects.

    Placebo

    • According to NaturalNews, laboratory tests performed on many leading brand-name hoodia products demonstrate that roughly 2/3 of them contain either no or far less hoodia than they claim. Some of the products are diluted with other ingredients, such as other plant material, and will work as well as a placebo. NaturalNews lists a few products that did pass the test and do contain actual hoodia. These are Ethno Africa, Hoodia Max, King Hoodia, Desert Burn, Hoodoba Pure, and Dr. Wheeler's Afrigetics.

    Hoodia Farms

    • According to CBS news, the process of manufacturing artificial hoodia is proving difficult. Harvesting wild hoodia plants is also not practical, because there simply won't be enough of the supply to meet the demand, especially given the obesity epidemic in America. So Phytopharm, the company that holds the patent on P57, has begun creating hoodia farms in South Africa. Although Phytopharm is facing new challenges (dealing with diseases and pests in a crop that has never been cultivated before), they are confident that they will eventually grow enough hoodia to keep up with the demand.

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