Hoodia Gordonii is a cactus-like plant found to grow naturally in the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa. There are at least thirteen species of the Hoodia plant but only the Hoodia Gordonii species has been known to possess the appetite suppressant ingredient that is effective for weight loss.

It was discovered in 1937 by a Dutch anthropologist that the San bushmen of the Kalahari Desert region consume Hoodia to suppress their appetite during their long hunting trips. Due to the scarcity of food in the semi-deserts, they were eating the flesh and stem of the Hoodia plant to help them stave off hunger.

Hoodia Suppresses Your Appetite

It suppresses your appetite by telling the brain that your stomach is full, even though you are not. Research done on rats showed the rats stopped eating completely after they were fed with Hoodia. Of course, this does not mean that we should stop eating completely too. The human body still need nutrients for its daily energy needs. Even the brain need nutrients to work. So if a person is on Hoodia supplements, he still has to eat enough to fuel his energy needs, but eat sensibly. An enthusiasm to lose weight should not cause a person to lose essential dietary nutrients resulting in poor health.

For those who are interested in Hoodia and those who may have tried Hoodia pills but don't seem to get the result they have hoped for, it is important to be aware that there are fake Hoodia products being sold in the market. Laboratory testings conducted by Alkemist Pharmaceuticals had indicated that about 80% of Hoodia products are fakes or are not pure. Some had been mixed with other fillers just to add to the weight of the Hoodia pill.

Consumers need to be certain that they are getting genuine 100% pure Hoodia Gordonii or they may find that they are not getting the weight loss results they are trying to achieve.