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 this 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 the 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.

Buy Hoodia Extract 400 mg, 20 to 1 extract
This 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 this plant as a food source for thousands of years.
 

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Supplement facts:
Hoodia gordonii stem extract (20:1) - 400 mg each pill

Suggested Use: 1 or 2 hoodia capsules in the morning before breakfast on an empty stomach.

Do hoodia diet pills work?
Hoodia gordonii, a succulent cactus-like plant growing in South Africa, has been used in traditional medicine for its appetite suppressant properties. Its use as a dietary supplement to promote weight loss has recently gained popularity. An oxypregnane steroidal glycoside P57AS3 (P57) is reported to be the active constituent of the sap extract responsible for its appetite suppressing activity. 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 80 percent. With time it is becoming more convincing that it 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.

Hoodia powder versus 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. We have come across hoodia chewable tablets advertised online.

Appetite control
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.

Hoodia extract suppresses appetite in rats
An appetite suppressant from Hoodia species.
Phytochemistry. 2007; van Heerden FR, Marthinus Horak R, Maharaj VJ, Vleggaar R, Senabe JV, Gunning PJ.
School of Chemistry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Scottsville, 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.

Chicken study
Effect of Hoodia gordonii meal supplementation at finisher stage on productivity and carcass characteristics of Ross 308 broiler chickens.
Trop Anim Health Prod. 2009; Mohlapo TD, Ng'ambi JW, Norris D, Malatje MM. Department of Animal Production, University of Limpopo, South Africa.
Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of Hoodia gordonii meal supplementation at finisher stage on productivity and carcass characteristics of Ross 308 broiler chickens. The first experiment examined the effect of level of meal supplementation at finisher stage (30 to 42 days of age) on productivity and carcass characteristics of chickens. Level of Hoodia gordonii meal supplementation had no effect on diet intake, growth rate, feed conversion ratio and live weight of chickens. Daily supplementation with 300 mg of Hoodia gordonii meal reduced fat pad weights by 40% in broiler chickens The second experiment examined the effect of Hoodia gordonii meal supplementation interval on the productivity and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens. Hoodia gordonii meal supplementation interval had no effect on feed intake, growth rate, live weight, feed conversion ratio and all carcass characteristics except fat pad of broiler chickens. Daily supplementation with 300 mg of Hoodia gordonii meal / bird reduced fat pad weights of the chickens by 18%. This could not be explained in terms of differences in feed intake, digestibility, or growth rate.

Is hoodia a diet pill?
We're still trying to evaluate the feedback from users. Thus far we tend to lean towards the probability that it 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 and review.

What about side effects and safety?
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 the 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 it works as an appetite suppression. One of the pregnane glycosides in hoodia gordonii plant is calogenin.

Hoodia testing
Chemical fingerprint of Hoodia species, dietary supplements, and related genera by using HPTLC.
J Sep Sci. 2008. Rumalla CS, Avula B, Wang YH, Pawar RS, Smillie TJ, Khan IA. National Center for Natural Products Research, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA.
A HPTLC method was developed for simple and rapid chemical fingerprint analysis of four Hoodia species, dietary supplements that claim to contain Hoodia gordonii, and plants from genera related to Hoodia. The authentication of Hoodia gordonii was achieved by comparing the band colors and R(f) values for TLC fingerprints with those of 11 standard compounds including P57. The developed method was successfully applied for the identification of the 11 pregnane glycosides for four different species of Hoodia, 24 related genera and 13 dietary supplements that claim to contain Hoodia gordonii. Different sample matrices were successfully analyzed, providing a wide range of applicability for this method, including gels, capsules, tablets, sprays, teas, snack bars, powders, and juices. The developed method was validated for specificity, stability, repeatability, and robustness. The results of HPTLC method were verified by LC-UV-MS method.

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

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 amount of the active herb 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. 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 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 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.

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.

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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 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 ones?
   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 ones on the market today.

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.

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