Does Hoodia Really Work?

Imagine: you that you eat a small piece of cactus and its leaves and you are not feeling hungry all day without any side effects.

This is the promise of a bush type cactus that grows in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa -- getting slim effortless.

The plant has purportedly been consumed for generations by the original inhabitants, known as Bushmen, of this remote region. The name of the plant is Hoodia.

Hoodia may be the solution for millions of people who want to lose weight and can not stop eating. Unfortunately, there are several problems with this plant that make it less promising. It is not easy to transform it into a product.

The Hoodia plant grows wild in the Kalahari desert and takes several years to grow.

Because of the apparent appetite suppressing qualities of hoodia, it became popular in the West as an herbal weight loss aid.

According to a report conducted by the U.S. government, South Africa began more than 15 years ago studying this plant to identify the chemical compound that causes people to control their appetite and allegedly help to lose weight.

The study was successful and managed to identify the component dubbed "P57", but they are not easy to substitute by something else.

The component identifiers sold the manufacturing rights and marketing to a pharmaceutical company. This company began further studies to produce the components in high volumes to be able to sell it in pill form worldwide as a treatment for obesity.

So far this has not been possible for several reasons, among them since it is very costly and inefficient and there are legal problems with the Bushmen who believe that their contribution in the study should receive a better reward. The Bushmen are very poor Aborigines and have always been exploited, however, they are fighting for their rights.

In fact, the plant hoodia was later placed under protective status in many South African countries where exportation of hoodia gordonii is largely forbidden, though some channels remain.

Because of this, the pharmaceutical company is a growing a type of Hoodia that is not what was originally eaten by the Bushmen. This is another variety and has an unpleasant bitter taste but grows faster.

Despite the historical facts of hoodia’s effectiveness in suppressing appetite, it remains unclear if hoodia does really work for weight loss.

If you're into hoodia, it is recommended that you use hoodia along with a healthy eating habit and reasonable excercise plan.

Until further medical research, it's general wisest to consult your doctor before you elect to go on hoodia diet as no one knows for sure if prolonged use of hoodia might have adverse effects.