I first seen a special about it on Oprah and that is when I thought I would try it. I was not that overweight, maybe 25lbs but I was always snacking and could not seem to get satisfied. This was the first product that I actually ever tried that claimed that it would make you feel full and curb your appetite. They were right! In 23 days I lost 27lbs along with walking in my neighborhood every evening for about 30 minutes.

What is Hoodia?

Hoodia is a cactus-like plant from South Africa. Although the plant looks like a cactus, it belongs to a category of plants called succulents. The use of Hoodia is supported by colorful folklore history and recent scientific studies. Hoodia is well known to the San bushmen of South Africa, who learned to eat this plant to reduce hunger sensations from the teachings of their forefathers.

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's appetite suppressing molecule is said to be almost 10,000 times stronger than glucose.

Hoodia Hoodia is ideal for weight loss because your daily caloric intake can be reduced up to 2000 calories per day.

The most effective method for weight loss is reducing the number of calories you consume while increasing the number of calories you burn through physical activity. To lose one pound, you need an expenditure of approximately 3500 calories. You can achieve this either by cutting back on your food intake, by increasing physical activity, or ideally, by doing both.

For example, if you consume 500 extra calories per day for one week without changing your activity level, you will gain one pound in weight (7 days multiplied by 500 calories equals 3500 calories, or the number of calories resulting in a one-pound weight gain). Likewise, if you eat 500 fewer calories each day for a week or burn 500 calories per day through exercise for one week, you will lose one pound.

Hoodia has been used for centuries by the San bushmen of South Africa. These people may have some times consumed Hoodia a couple of times a day on a regular basis. The “San” are known to have chewed on the plant during times of food scarcity, in order to alleviate hunger and thirst. was found by bushmen to be particularly valuable for use during arduous hunting expeditions in the Kalahari desert. The Kalahari desert is a principle home for the San bushmen and it is a prime location for the growth of the succulent plant . The world has finally listened to the “San people”.

Hoodia Gordonii Side Effects

A clinical trial conducted by Phytopharm showed that repeated large doses of Hoodia Gordonii caused a significant decrease in daily calorie intake. In this clinical study, the data proved that the safety data are consistent with a satisfactory overall safety profile. There have been no reported cases of any side effects other than dry mouth and possible headache at the onset of taking Hoodia Gordonii.