Sunday, October 7, 2007

Can I Lose Weight With Hoodia?

Hoodia is a cactus-like plant that's causing a stir for its ability to suppress appetite and promote weight loss. It is also used hoodia for severe abdominal cramps, hemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, hypertension and diabetes.

Government researchers in South Africa have focused on compounds called sterol glycosides which is present in Hoodia gordonii. The Hoodia gordonii whole powder contains fiber, organic material, antioxidants, and biologically active substances. The pharmaceutical companies has been so impressed by research findings with Hoodia gordonii that there have been multi-million dollar deals to try to make drugs or food additives from constituents of Hoodia gordonii. Making a drug from the Hoodia plant is not consistent with its traditional use as an appetite suppressant by the native South Africans.

The consumption of Hoodia gordonii over thousands of years by the San bushmen of the Kalahari tribe creates a great precedent for the safety of the Hoodia plant, but it does not create precedence for the safety or effectiveness of a "drug derivative". Hoodia gordonii does not contain dangerous stimulant molecules, but it does contain substances that may mimic the effects of glucose on nerve cells in the brain.

The controlled clinical and laboratory experiments show much promise of Hoodia for weight control. Some experiments have shown that obese people who are taking Hoodia have reduced their calorie intake by an amazing amount of one thousand calories per day.

Pure Hoodia gordonii is composed of variable amounts of fiber, organic material, antioxidants and biologically active substances called sterol glycosides.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Hoodia - Fad Or Real Weight Loss?

The ancient Hoodia gordonii plant is very interesting. It has been used for thousands of years but it is just beginning to catch on to the Western world. The huge media coverage has led to the flourishing industry of hoodia gordonii based products.

But before you rush off to purchase a hoodia supplement, you should understand first about what studies have shown so far with respect to hoodia gordonii for weight loss. Knowing these facts will help you navigate through hoodia product and purchase the best product to avoid the fake ones.

There are a variety of hoodia plants but only the hoodia gordonii class contains an active element that helps suppress your appetite. As the demand for hoodia products is far surpassing the supply, some sellers of hoodia are advertising their products as pure hoodia even though it might have been made from a different hoodia variety.

Many companies claim their hoodia extract can help you lose weight but the only thing that has been proven so far is the P57 molecule. The active ingredient P57 molecule in hoodia gordonii was isolated, it was licensed to a company named Phytopharm that conducted a study using it. It was found that morbidly obese people who used P57 ate on average of 1k less calories per day. Obviously, this is the reason why many people think hoodia for weight-loss is the new rescuer for the obese and people aiming to slim down.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that as long as the hoodia products are extracted from real hoodia gordonii, it should also contain the active ingredient in it.

Can hoodia slim you down? The answer is a big Yes! But only if you purchase the real product and avoid the false ones.