Hoodia Gordonii Side Effects, danger, risks - Should you be concerned?

The hoodia gordonii plant is a spiny succulent 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 gordonii 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 gordonii gordonii plant as an appetite suppressant during their long marches and hunting trips through the vast desert. Apparently hoodia gordonii side effects have not been reported by the Bushmen, except for a decrease in 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 a very low side effect profile is Diet Rx with hoodia gordonii, formulated by a world famous medical doctor, Dr. Ray Sahelian, M.D. You can buy Diet-Rx. If you wish to buy a hoodia gordonii supplement by itself, see Hoodia gordonii extract.

Hoodia gordonii side effects
As of August 2009, we have not seen of any published human studies with hoodia supplements for weight loss, therefore we can't say for sure what Hoodia gordonii side effects there would be if people take a Hoodia gordonii supplement for weeks and months. Reports from users of Hoodia gordonii supplements may not be fully accurate since many weight loss products with Hoodia gordonii also have other herbs and nutrients in them. To complicate matters further, there is no guarantee that the Hoodia gordonii product you buy has pure Hoodia gordonii or any Hoodia gordonii. Some marketers may put other weight loss herbs in their product and sell it as Hoodia gordonii pills. This is not common but it does occur.
   Hoodia gordonii became popular in the United States starting about 2005. Thus far, after hundreds of thousands or millions of people taking Hoodia gordonii supplements, no mention has been made in the medical literature of any case reports of Hoodia gordonii side effects. This is quite remarkable considering the serious side effects that occurred with the Phen-Fen phenomenon, or the side effects reported with the herb ephedra.
   The active appetite suppressing ingredient in Hoodia gordonii appears to be a compound named P57. Hoodia gordonii has many other compounds in it, and we don't know what kind of effect these substances have on the body when ingested for prolonged periods. Would there be any harm to the liver or other organs?

Hoodia gordonii side effects versus side effects of obesity
Hoodia gordonii appears to be effective for weight loss. We do know that being overweight carries risks for metabolic syndrome which includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and a host of other health problems. When a person eats less, their blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol go down. Therefore, this plant could have health benefits and this has to be balanced with potentially unknown Hoodia gordonii side effects.

A reasonable approach to avoiding possible Hoodia gordonii side effects
Almost every herb on the market available in health food stores or over the counter is relatively safe in low doses, it appears that problems occur when people take too high amounts of these herbs or take them for prolonged periods without breaks. One way to reduce or avoid any potential Hoodia gordonii side effects is to take breaks from the use of this product. You can take a Hoodia gordonii supplement for two weeks and then go off it for a week. If you really need to lose additional weight during the off week, you can substitute another natural weight loss product that does not have Hoodia gordonii. Also, just to make sure, have your liver enzymes tested and do a routine blood work every two or three months just to be certain nothing is happening that would be of concern.
   By following these simple steps, you can take advantage of natural weight loss products with Hoodia gordonii and avoid potential Hoodia gordonii side effects.

What about Hoodia gordonii side effects when combined with medications?
This is a totally unknown topic of medical research. There are thousands of prescription medicines and we have no idea what kind of interactions there would be between these drugs and herbal products. Would Hoodia gordonii side effects be likely if taken together with acetaminophen, stating drugs, antidepressants, etc? This is a mystery at this time.

Diabetes and Hoodia gordonii use
Since Hoodia gordonii and other natural weight loss pills reduce appetite, those who have diabetes should carefully monitor their blood sugar to avoid overdosing on insulin or drugs used to lower blood sugar.

Hoodia side effects questions
Q. In April 2008 I had asthma symptoms after taking a hoodia supplement. Well, my hoodia side effects symptoms worsened for a couple of weeks, until I went to the doctor, who diagnosed me with a respiratory infection and prescribed antibiotics. The antibiotics cleared it up, so shortly after that, I tried a hoodia supplement again -- and the asthma symptoms returned. I avoided taking it for about 3 months. Recently I decided to try it again to stave off hunger while starting up a new diet plan. I immediately had symptoms of asthma, so I only took the one capsule and no more. My asthma symptoms subsided within 24 hours. Sadly, I won't be trying it again! It worked wonderfully to keep hunger at bay, but the hoodia side effect trade-off isn't worth it. FYI, the ingredients of this product are: Hoodia Gordonii extract (20:1) 250mg. Other ingredients: magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose in a vegetarian capsule made of water and hypromellose (USP).

Q. Is headach a hoodia gordonii side effect?
   A. Headache is not a common hoodia gordonii side effect, we have not had any such feedback from hoodia users regarding headache being a major issue with this supplement.