We currently live in a society where obesity and being overweight will probably become an epidemic. And with so many people searching for a “magic-pill” of wanting to find pills that will just make people lose all their weight quickly is just a wearing rose colored glasses.

Lately there has been a lot of talk about the popularity of diet pills known as hoodia. Hoodia comes from a cactus-like plant that grows in semi-deserts in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Angola. The notion comes from claims that the San Bushmen in the Kalahari desert used hoodia for thousands of years to ward off hunger when they were warding off their hunger and thirst during long hunting trips. According to legend, by cutting of the stem of the plant, they would eat it.

In 1937, a Dutch anthropologist studying the San Bushmen noticed that they used hoodia gordonii to suppress their appetite and sure enough, studies were being done on animals which shown that many lab animals lost weight after consuming hoodia gordonii.
So, decade’s later, South African and British scientist created Phytopharm, isolating the active ingredient steroidal glycoside and licensing the drug in 1998 to Pfizer.

It became even more popular when 60 Minutes correspondent Leslie Stahl went to Africa to try hoodia and said that she lost her desire toe at or drink the entire day and had no immediate side effects.

Thus the popularity boombed for Hoodia Gordonii and it is found in popular diet pill known as TrimSpa.

In a Phytopharm study in 18 human volunteers, they found that hoodia consumption reduced food intake by 1000 calories a day.

So, as a herbal diet pill, it is currently being studied on side effects and not yet approved by the Federal Drug Administration. But what is known is that is has suppressed the appetite of people.

Cons of Hoodia

There have been indications that hoodia may affect liver function and interact with other medications. Where the Sans Bushmen do not take medications for ailments, many people in western civilization do. So, how it affects people taking medications are not known. It is recommended that people who are diabetic to not take hoodia because it fools the brain in thinking the body has enough blood sugar when it might not.

Also, it is recommended as a precaution that people who are pregnant or have an organ disease to avoid taking hoodia.

False Advertising

It was reported on BBC news in 2003 that of the leading brand of hoodia pills sold in the United States, their studies found any evidence that there are any active hoodia in them. Because hoodia is scarce and hard for manufacturers to acquire in large bulk, many firms are falsely claiming that their weight loss supplements carry hoodia.

So, right now, it is known that hoodia does help stop cravings but how it relates to the Western world outside of the San Bushmen is how it reacts to the foods, medications and lifestyle of people. Also, to bare in mind that phytopharm, the only licensed producer of hoodia as a weight loss aid have not yet marketed their product.

So, it’s important to do your research and find out if a company selling hoodia is indeed selling a product that contains hoodia due to so many falsely claiming they do.

Before taking any diet-related pills or supplements, make sure you contact your physician or dietitian especially if you have any health conditions.

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