What is Hoodia?

By: Michael Daigle

Deep inside the Kalahari Desert of South Africa grows a small shabby-looking cactus feign plant called Hoodia gordonii which came into sudden limelight when a researcher from West unraveled a secret about this plant that it possesses hunger suppression properties and suddenly entire world turned to this shabby plant to know what it has in store for the mankind.

Many centuries back, the Bushmen and San tribesmen of South Africa accidentally consumed the plant. When they went out to long hunting trips, they found these succulent plants, and assuming that the water present inside the succulent stems could quench their thirst until they find drinking water they consumed the plant portions. But they were never feeling hungry or thirsty for a very long time and to prove that their new no-hungry and no-thirsty feelings is because of Hoodia gordonii they started taking the plant almost whenever they saw and even took them home and fed their women and children.

As they knew that Hoodia has got the hunger suppression and thirst quenching qualities and started to count on it during their long desert hunt expeditions when they had no sources of food. Hoodia gordonii thus helped them survive through periods of no water and no food for these Bushmen (so the credit of discovering the medicinal properties of Hoodia gordonii goes to these people, although, they have discovered accidentally).

It is only at the dawn of the 21st century that this truth is told to rest of the world by a westerner. Once people came to know about these traits of Hoodia, they started taking it intentionally to correct excess weight and obesity problems.

The plant acts in a naturally way by stunting the hunger and satiating thirst. These properties will kill a foodie’s temptation to take food and if he continues to take Hoodia gordonii for sometime chances are 100% that he will come back to his normal weight.

Hoodia gordonii is a prickly plant and although, there are about 13 Hoodia species known it is only Hoodia gordonii that can suppress hunger and thirst (the Bushmen have tried with other species of Hoodia after discovery of the medicinal properties of Hoodia gordonii, but other species did not have these properties). Experimental research on other Hoodia species did not yield results as that of Hoodia gordonii.

The plant starts flowering only after 5 years after planting and it is only then that the plant becomes fit for our consumption. The flowering spike encloses a fleshy structure and it is considered as the useful portion of the species (carefully peeled and a biocompound called P57 is extracted from this portion).

The taste of Hoodia is acrid and unpleasant, but the effects are pleasant and most desired. Hoodia gordonii calms down the hunger pangs within 15 to 10 minutes of its consumption, but the positive about the plant is that even though the hunger is calmed down the person still feels energetic.

The ability of the plant to import energy besides suppressing hunger has been the area of interest for the researchers today. As of now it adds to the hype that Hoodia is enjoying now.

World over there is increasing obesity and overweight problems both in males and females. According to one estimate about 20% of European males and about 25% of females fall in the obese category. If their obesity is left untreated many ailments crop up and the most serious being heart related problems. We all know that deaths due to heart problems far out number than due to other diseases.

For the wonderful properties it has in store for man it has become an indispensable tool in the armory of a nutritionist and a dietician who would want to treat obesity the natural way. This shabby-looking small plant has grown in stature in very short time.

Article Source: http://www.PureHoodiaDietPill.com/articles/what-is-hoodia.html