Hoodia, a plant that tricks the brain by making the stomach feel full, has been in the diet of South Africa's Bushmen for thousands of years.

CBS News, 60 Minutes, talking about Hoodia

Hoodia. What is it?

If you haven't heard of Hoodia yet, you soon will because it is being touted as the new miracle supplement for safe, effective weight loss. Hoodia gordonii, (Hoodia) is the botanical name for a cactus like plant that grows in Southern Africa. Scientists have recently isolated several compounds in this amazing plant that are responsible for dramatic weight loss. This all-natural appetite suppressant is also being applauded for containing no dangerous stimulants that caused adverse side effects associated with weight loss products of the last decade.

Hoodia gordonii, "Whoo De AH", is the botanical name for a leafless, spiky succulent plant that grows throughout the semi-arid areas of Southern Africa primarily the Kalahari desert. The San (local inhabitants) have rationally used Hoodia stems to stave off hunger and thirst when on long journeys, as it acts as an appetite suppressant.

How Hoodia help you

The hypothalamus receives signal as an indication that enough food has been consumed and this in turn stunts the appetite. This pure organic Hoodia, contains a miracle molecule that, in effect, fools the brain into believing you are full, and even stops you from thinking about food.

Hoodia helps to curb your appetite, some has reported, suppressing appetite within 20-30 minutes after taking Hoodia, results may vary. Some may need a little more time than this before they begin to notice the effects like: A reduced interest in food and A delay in time after eating before hunger sets in.

One of the active ingredients in the herb is a chemical compound called P57, which is thought to be at least partly responsible for the appetite-suppressing effects of hoodia gordonii. But this is probably an oversimplification, since herbs typically work with an assortment of chemical compounds, not just one chemical.

So you've bought a supply of hoodia, and now you want to know how to use it. To cover this, There are experience in using hoodia for weight loss. The optimal way is taking hoodia tincture every morning and afternoon. Easy enough, right?

For most people, the real weight loss challenge has relatively to do with dieting, exercise, supplements, or how many calories you burn in the gym. The real challenge is controlling their hunger drive. People who are trying to lose weight seem to share the exact same problem. They have trouble getting their appetite under control. Hoodia gordonii, it seems, could make that much easier. Because overcoming your own hunger drive seems almost impossible unless you get some help.

To understand how all this works, you have to understand what "hunger" really is in the first place. Hunger is just an illusion. It's a signal in your brain, a chemical message that causes you to feel certain feelings and, ultimately, act on them.

Normally, to get your hypothalamus to turn off the hunger switch, you'd have to eat a moderate amount of food. And your hypothalamus isn't very quick on the draw either: it takes around 20 minutes to figure out what you've eaten, and by that time, you've probably eaten another 800 calories. So by the time your hunger signal gets turned off, you've already overeaten yet again.

Consuming hoodia is surprisingly simple: slice off a piece of the succulent, peel off the thorns, and just start chewing on it. You don't even need to swallow it. The taste is rather bitter by most Americans' palettes, but after several minutes of chewing, you've already started absorbing the chemical. Guess what? Your hunger is vanishing with each passing moment.

The San Tribesmen, the original discovers of the plant, also say it makes you feel stronger, more energetic, and more focused. Nobody complains of any side effects whatsoever, and the plant has been chewed for literally thousand of years by various generations of the San, with no ill effects known whatsoever.

Not a Hoodia nor a Hoodia

The pure 100% Hoodia that is imported direct from South Africa is very expensive and hard to acquire. Any Hoodia products being sold at cheap prices are not the real thing and will not work. Also, Hoodia products claiming to contain large amounts of pure Hoodia in each pill are either making false claims or have dramatically diluted the product with fillers. The fact is an average person would likely become sick if they consumed more than 800mgs of real Hoodia at any one time.

Hoodia is also known by horticulture experts as being extremely difficult to cultivate in captivity. The plants rot easily, and they won't grow in regular soil -- they need sandy soil with excellent drainage. Also, to make things even more difficult, these plants aren't pollinated by bees, they're pollinated by flies. To attract the flies, their blooms emit a strong, repulsive odor that smells a lot like rotting flesh.

To make matters even more challenging, Hoodia grown in South Africa under the San tribe's influence is required to be grown under organic conditions. That means they can't use pesticides. Entire crops have been known to vanish virtually overnight thanks to the ravages of various insects.

Hoodia products testimonials

Thank you, the second Hoodia Gordonii shipment arrived yesterday April 4, 2005. By the way Hoodia is working very well I lost 12 lbs or (5.5 kg) in 2 months. Not dramatic but then again losing weight slowly is the best way to go. At this stage I don't pay attention to carbohydrates, fats, sugars and other diet fads. Regards - G D B (USA)

Hoodia drugs conjunction

The Hoodia is an all-natural, herbal dietary supplement and there are no know adverse side effects relating to its use. No Caffeine. No Ephedra. So Hoodia is safe for us.

There are no known reported side effects to using Hoodia Gordonii that have been reported to date.

Hoodia Gordonii is famous for its effects as an appetite suppressant and mood enhancer. Excellent results have been reported from people using it as part of a weight loss program, leading to many international companies making and selling Hoodia as a "new miracle diet pill".

Hoodia scientifics research

Scientists at the South African Center for Scientific and Industrial Research were the first to successfully prove that Hoodia contains a miracle molecule that suppresses the appetite. Later, a human clinical trial was conducted by scientists in Leicester England. A group of morbidly obese men and women participated. Half the group were given Hoodia and half were given a placebo. At the end of 15 days, the group on Hoodia had reduced their food intake by 1000 calories a day. Given the average daily diet is around 2200 calories, this was a stunning success.

Laboratory experiments show animals automatically restrict their food intake when taking hoodia orally. Rats, a species that will eat anything from meat and plants to indigestible fiber, lowered their dietary calorie intake to a degree that made them get thin when fed comparative amounts of hoodia.

The Hoodia today

Hoodia is registered as a protected species to prevent Bio-Piracy but is allowed to be grown on a handful of commercial farms in South Africa owned by private farmers.

In the wild Hoodia takes 5-6 years to mature but is now being cultivated in as little as 2 years commercially in sustainable quantities and has become widely known for its effects as an appetite suppressant.

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