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This page contains information on Hoodia gordonii and how it is used as a herb in alternative herbal treatments as an appetite suppressant.
On this page
Please note that we are not advocating that people stop using their normal medication, but would like to make people aware that some alternative therapies can be very effective to help treat problems and create a healthier, younger and more vital you. For more information on our range of products, please click here.
Although we believe in the therapeutic and healing properties of herbs, care must be taken in the use thereof, as they are powerful compounds.
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Family |
Apocynaceae | |
Genus and specie |
Hoodia gordonii |
There are three different species of this plant, yet it is the Hoodia gordonii that is used in herbal medicine as a natural appetite suppressant.
It is a leafless succulent that grows up to 50 cm high with fleshy, ribbed and thorny stems.
The plants emits a smell of decaying flesh, so as to attract flies and blowflies to its flowers, which are needed for pollination.
It is a plant that only grows in the South African Kalahari desert and the harvest of this plant is carefully controlled to prevent it from being harvested to extinction.
This plant was the "food" eaten by the Bushmen - also called the "Khoi-San" tribe, for thousands of years while hunting for food, which not only stilled the hunger, but also increased their energy levels without any side effects.
A large pharmaceutical company patented the "P-57" ingredient found in Hoodia, but a dispute exists between the company and the Khoi-San tribe.
Since real Hoodia gordonii is a scarce and expensive ingredient, it has been found that some unscrupulous firms have passed off products as Hoodia gordonii that do not contain Hoodia at all.
The fleshy part of the stem is used - and in commercial applications it is this part that is dried and used in powder form.
It is a most effective way to control appetite, and is used when wishing to lose weight.
Although the P-57 compound is under dispute, it also contains cardiac glycosides or bio-chemically related compounds such as pregnane derivatives.
In a clinical trial, it showed that people taking Hoodia reduced their caloric intake by 1,000 calories per day - with no effort, and without even being aware of the effect.
Hoodia reduces the impulse of hunger, as it "tricks" your hypothalamus into thinking that you have eaten. The hypothalamus is the gland that sparks hunger, and the hypothalamus is only satisfied when your blood glucose level reach a certain point after eating.
None noted.
To promote the interest and use of herbs and natural complementary health alternatives, we have included information on the following herbs.
Please note - although we discuss a wide variety of herbs, not all of them are used or sold by us.
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