What is hoodia gordonii? The hoodia gordonii plant is a spiny succulent (similar looking to a cactus) that grows in the Kalahari desert in Africa, mostly in the arid areas of South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia. San Bushmen (who are one of the world's oldest and most primitive hunter-gatherer tribes), have known about the hoodia plant for countless generations. Rock paintings of the San Bushmen go back more than 20,000 years. The nomadic Bushmen, who live in this harsh and arid desert, use the hoodia plant as an appetite suppressant during their long marches and hunting trips through the vast desert. As of January 2008, we are not aware of any human studies published with hoodia supplements for weight loss. Below we mention one rodent study that we came across that showed hoodia gordonii extract was able to reduce appetite.
   Hoodia gordonii is available as a supplement in various extract forms, and it is also available in combination with other herbs and supplements for those interested in better body weight management. One such effective appetite suppressant with hoodia gordonii extract is Diet Rx, formulated by a world famous medical doctor, Dr. Ray Sahelian, M.D. You can buy Diet-Rx here.

Buy Hoodia Extract 400 mg, Pure Hoodia Gordonii extract 20:1
Note: This pure hoodia product is a 20:1 extract which means it is 20 times as concentrated as regular hoodia plant. Four hundred mgs of pure hoodia extract equals about 8,000 mg or 8 grams of the actual plant.

Hoodia gordonii is a succulent found in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa. The San Tribesmen of the Kalahari have been using hoodia plant as a food source for thousands of years.

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Subscribe to a FREE Supplement Research Update newsletter. Once or twice a month you will receive an email with a discussion of several studies on supplements and natural medicine topics, including a review of the latest pure hoodia gordonii studies, and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Hoodia gordonii supplement facts
Hoodia gordonii stem extract (20:1) - 400 mg *

Suggested Use: 1 or 2 hoodia capsules in the morning before breakfast on an empty stomach.
* Hoodia extract daily value not established.

Diet Rx with pure hoodia extract
All Natural Appetite Suppressant with hoodia gordonii extract
Decreases appetite so you eat less
Helps you maintain healthy blood sugar levels
Helps you maintain healthy cholesterol and lipid levels
Provides a variety of antioxidant from two dozen herbs and nutrients
Provides healthy fiber
Improves energy
Balances mood
Improves mental concentration and focus
Diet Rx with pure hoodia extract improves will power and choice of food selection

High Quality products formulated by a medical doctor
Consider highly popular all natural products formulated by a world famous medical doctor, Ray Sahelian, M.D. These include Mind Power Rx for better mental focus, concentration, and mood; Good Night Rx for better sleep; Eyesight Rx with lutein for better vision; MultiVit Rx a daily comprehensive multivitamin for more energy and vitality; Joint Power Rx for healthy joints; Prostate Power Rx for a healthy prostate gland; Passion Rx for sexual enhancement in men and women; and Veg Rx which supplies the missing nutrients in a vegetarian diet. See the link above for hoodia.

Comments on hoodia plant - do hoodia diet pills work?
We've had feedback from hoodia diet pill users regarding appetite control, and the results are mixed. Overall, though, it seems about 50 to 70% of the feedback has been positive. Feedback from Diet Rx users indicate a satisfaction rate exceeding 90 percent.

Hoodia powder versus hoodia extract
Which form of hoodia diet pill is better? We really don't know the answer to whether hoodia powder or hoodia extract leads to more weight loss since no studies have been done comparing the two.

Appetite control and hoodia diet pill research
It was in the 1960s that scientists first discovered that when rodents were given hoodia extract, they practically stopped eating. According to news reports, researchers in South Africa discovered hoodia gordonii contains a previously unknown compound, not known to be present in other plants, which has since been named P 57. Apparently the license was sold to a British pharmaceutical company, Phytopharm, who in turn sold the development and marketing rights to Pfizer Corporation. Studies with hoodia gordonii are being conducted at this time. A preliminary report in the news media which we can't find in medical journals indicates that hoodia gordonii diet pill is able to suppress appetite in humans. Here is a recent study with hoodia extract done with rats. For more hoodia research studies.

Hoodia extract suppresses appetite in rats
An appetite suppressant from Hoodia species.
Phytochemistry. 2007 Jun 29; van Heerden FR, Marthinus Horak R, Maharaj VJ, Vleggaar R, Senabe JV, Gunning PJ.
School of Chemistry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa.
Two pregnane glycosides were isolated by fractionation of the dried stems of hoodia gordonii. Compound 1 was tested for its appetite suppressant properties in rats by oral gavage and the results showed that all doses resulted in a decrease of food consumption over an eight day period and a body mass decrease when compared to the control sample receiving only the vehicle.

Is hoodia a diet pill?
We're still trying to evaluate the feedback from users of hoodia. Thus far we tend to lean towards the probablility that hoodia gordonii is in fact helpful to curb appetite, but we still need many more case reports from hoodia extract users before coming to a firmer opinion.

What about hoodia diet pill product side effects?
For a full discussion of hoodia gordonii side effects. Thus far there does not appear to be any significant hoodia diet pill side effects, but the information provided in the link above is quite interesting.

Chemical composition of hoodia gordonii plant
Hoodia gordonii has many components, including C21-steroidal derivatives, namely gordonosides, along with goodigosides, and oxypregnane glycosides. P57AS3 (P57), an oxypregnane steroidal glycoside, is believed to be the active constituent from this plant in terms of appetite suppression. P57 increases the content of ATP by 50-150% in hypothalamic neurons which may be one of the mechanisms by which hoodia gordonii works as an appetite suppression. One of the pregnane glycosides in hoodia gordonii plant is calogenin.

Hoodia diet weight loss emails
Q. Is hoodia a diet pill ?
   A. With time it is becoming more convincing that hoodia gordonii is an effective diet pill, at least in the short term. Whether taking a hoodia diet pill supplements leads to long term weight loss is still not clear.

Q. I've seen hoodia spelled as gordoni and gordonii. Which is the right spelling?
   A. The right spelling is hoodia gordonii.

Q. I would like to try a hoodia gordonii supplement diet pill but there are literally dozens of products marketed on the internet. How do I know that there is actual hoodia in these pills?
   A. Unless you send the product to an independent lab, you can not be 100 percent certain that the product you buy will have hoodia gordonii or the right amount as stated on the label. However, most of the large companies selling hoodia weight loss pills are reliable.

Q. Can you point me to a site with hoodia gordonii review?
   A. See the link for hoodia reviews.

Q. I took hoodia diet pill for two weeks. I work in a stressful place where there's food all around me. Hoodia diet pill helped me eat less and I lost 2 pounds in two weeks. I have been able to postpone meals and stop snacking completely. Hoodia diet pill worked for me much better than the over-the-counter appetite suppressant that they banned a few years back. I start in the morning with 2 hoodia diet pill capsules, and may have another in the afternoon if I feel a snack appetite coming on. If night eating starts happening, I'll take another one then, but it hasn't been a problem. In the past few days I began taking Diet Rx and so far it seems to be a much more potent appetite suppressant that hoodia diet pill by itself.

Hoodia liquid
Q. Is pure hoodia liquid preferable to pure hoodia capsules?
   A. We are not aware of any research regarding pure hoodia liquid comparing it to pure hoodia capsules. Hoodia capsules work well, and we don't seen any reason to use hoodia liquid except in those individuals who have difficulty swallowing capsules.

Hoodia reviews
We are often asked to compare and review different hoodia products on the market to determine the best hoodia supplement. This is impossible to do since there are thousands of hoodia gordonii supplements sold online and in health food stores. Furthermore, the quality of the hoodia extract may change from batch to batch. If you come across a website that claims it has independent hoodia reviews, be skeptical. Most often the people who run the website are the ones who promote the top listed hoodia diet product.

Additional links on this website
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Hoodia patch - does a hoodia diet patch work? Is a hoodia diet patch as effective as a hoodia diet pill?
Insoluble fiber and weight loss benefit
Spirulina health benefit - does spirulina use lead to weight loss?

More hoodia extract questions
Q. I read somewhere that hoodia works by increasing the ATP levels in the hypothalamus of the brain initiating satiety within the body. When one feels satisfied, endorphins are released that makes the body feel happy, energized, and not hungry. Is this true?
   A. It appears that one research paper has referred to this mechanism as an explanation of hoodia gordonii extract and its effect on satiety.

Q. I've seen Hoodia gordonii spelled as gordoni and gordonii. Which is the right spelling?
   A. The right spelling is Hoodia gordonii.

Q. Does hoodia cactus come in chewable tablets?
   A. Hoodia gordonii is a succulent, not a cactus. We have come across hoodia chewable tablets advertised online.

Q. I searched the internet for hoodia pills and the price range is quite wide. How can one tell if the cheap hoodia pills are as effective as the expensive hoodia pills?
   A. It is impossible to tell for certain unless you send the hoodia pills to a laboratory for independent testing.

Q. Is there research that says the safe dose of hoodia gordonii extract for use for many months?
   A. There have not been published human studies regarding the long term use of hoodia gordonii extracts.

Q. What is the best hoodia supplement available online?
   A. It is impossible to say which is the best hoodia supplement since there are hundreds and no comparison studies have been done with the various hoodia supplements on the market today.

Q. Does hoodia work for weight loss?
   A. In our experience, a little over half of hoodia gordonii extract users find hoodia works as a diet pill for weight loss.

Q. Where is the best place to buy hoodia gordonii extract?
   A. Hoodia diet pills are sold on the internet, in health food stores, pharmacies, and various retail outlets. You have quite a number of choices.

Q. Is it okay to drink green tea while taking a hoodia product?
   A. Yes, green tea may help the effects of hoodia extract. However, drinking too much green tea, specially in the evening, can cause shallow sleep.

Q. Is hoodia safe? Before I buy hoodia diet pills, I would like to know if it interferes with prescription drugs.
   A. Hoodia is safe, at least for short term use. We have not come across any reports of significant hoodia adverse effects or health dangers or safety issues. However, hoodia pills have not been tested in combination with pharmaceutical medications, and hence we don't know if there could be safety issues when hoodia pills are combined with prescription drugs. For the time being we discourage the use of hoodia pills used in combination with pharmaceutical weight loss drugs such as phentermine. Discuss with your doctor before you buy hoodia if you have a health condition or taking medications.