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. With time it is becoming more convincing that hoodia is an effective diet pill, at least in the short term. Whether taking it leads to long term weight loss is still not clear.
   Hoodia diet pill 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 diet pill is Diet Rx with hoodia gordonii and acetyl l carnitine, formulated by a world famous medical doctor, Dr. Ray Sahelian, M.D.  If you wish to buy a hoodia diet pill supplement by itself, see below.

Hoodia Extract diet pill 400 mg,  extract 20:1
Note: This hoodia product is a 20:1 extract which means it is 20 times as concentrated as regular hoodia plant. Four hundred mgs of 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 as a food source for thousands of years.

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Supplement Facts
Pure Hoodia gordonii Stem Extract (20:1) - 400 mg

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

Hoodia gordonii: a natural appetite suppressant.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2008; van Heerden FR. School of Chemistry, University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg, Scottsville, South Africa.
Several species of the stapeliads, a group of stem succulents belonging to the family Apocynaceae are reported on in the ethnopharmacology literature and many of the references relate to their use as food plants. The most important of these plants is Hoodia gordonii, which during the past decade has risen from an almost forgotten spiny, desert plant to an important commercial appetite-suppressant herbal. The aim of this review is to summarize the botany, ethnopharmacology and phytochemistry of Hoodia gordonii. Journal articles and books were used to collect information. Many books and articles documented the use of stapeliad species as food plants and earlier references refer to the use Hoodia species as a thirst quencher. However, prior to the publication of the patent application, only a single reference referring to the use of Hoodia pilifera as appetite suppressant was found. The structures of several steroid glycosides isolated from Hoodia gordonii are summarized. Hoodia gordonii illustrates how a combination of ethnobotany and scientific research can lead to a commercial product which can greatly benefit the indigenous people.

Comments on hoodia diet pills available over the counter
We've had feedback from hoodia diet pill users regarding appetite control, and the results are mixed. Overall, though, it seems about 70% of the feedback has been positive. Some products available over the counter may not contain hoodia so buy this product from a reputable company.

Hoodia powder versus extract
Which form of this diet pill is better? We really don't know the answer to whether hoodia powder or 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, they practically stopped eating. According to news reports, researchers in South Africa discovered hoodia 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 are being conducted at this time. A preliminary report in the news media which I can't find in medical journals indicates that hoodia is able to suppress appetite in humans. Here is a recent study with hoodia done with rats.

Hoodia diet pill 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. Compound 1 was tested for its appetite suppressant properties in rats by oral gavage at 6.25-50mg/kg 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.

Chemical composition of hoodia gordonii
This plant 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 works as an appetite suppression.

emails
Q. I would like to try a hoodia 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 hoodia diet pill product you buy will have hoodia or the right amount as stated on the label. However, most of the large companies selling hoodia diet 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 helped me eat less and I lost 2 pounds in two weeks. I have been able to postpone meals and stop snacking completely. Hoodia is 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.

Q. I received an email about a hoodia diet pill product called SlimChews and their claim that "SlimChews blend containing powerful South African Hoodia and Brazilian Cha De Bugre" helps one lose weight and gain energy is true?
   A. We are not familar with SlimChews and have not seen such studies with this product. We are not aware of any studies with cha de bugre in humans as far as weight loss. We doubt there have been studies with the combination of hoodia and cha de bugre, as of February 2009.

Q. Can hoodia diet pill be taken the same day as Diet Rx diet pill?
   A. We suggest not taking them the same day unless the dosage of the Diet Rx is only one capsule and no more than one tablet or capsule of hoodia diet pill.