Hoodia gordonii Exposed - Will The Real Hoodia Please Stand Up?
Hoodia gordonii Exposed - Will The Real Hoodia Please Stand Up?
People who are a fan of diet pills will have heard of the recently discovered effects of Hoodia gordonii. Hoodia gordonii is an herb found to reduce appetite resulting to weight loss. It has only been popularized recently due to the ban against the diet herb ephedra, which has known to have side effects on its users. And with society dictating that thin is beautiful, everyone is more than welcome to accept a new and thought to be safer diet pill in the market.
Hoodia gordonii is a cactus-like plant found in the deserts of Namibia, Angola, Botswana, and South Africa. It largely resembles a cactus but it isn't really one. Studies show that this succulent plant was being consumed by the San Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert to ward off hunger and thirst during extended periods of hunting. It was known that they would cut off the stem and eat the bitter plant while on a hunting trip. The purple flowers of the hoodia gordonii will take five years before it appears and only then can it be harvested.
There are several varieties of hoodia but only the hoodia gordonii variety is known to have the active ingredient called "p57", also known as steroidal glycoside. The first company to license p57 was Phytopharm and has spent over $20 million dollars in hoodia research. Pfizer, a pharmaceutical giant, recognized the potential of hoodia in the market and asked Phytopharm to allow them to sublicense the rights to develop p57 for commercial production.
Hoodia gordonii gained popularity after a TV correspondent Leslie Stahl traveled all the way to Africa to try hoodia. They hired a local Bushman to track down some hoodia and she tried it for herself. After eating the plant, Stahl has reported that she lost the desired to eat or drink for the rest of the day. She didn't feel any immediate side-effects as well. At present, hoodia gordonii is sold in powder, capsule, liquid or tea form that can be found online and in the local health stores. It is also an ingredient in popular diet pills. Albeit popular, there are no published results of controlled trials that the herb is safe to take in pill form. Hoodia gordonii works by altering the ATP levels so that a person will no longer feel hungry or thirsty.
Although hoodia gordonii is a relatively safe pill to take, its side effects are not known. It may not have side effects on the San Bushmen but that is because they are not taking any other type of medications unlike the populace today. Studies have not been made as to the interaction of the herb to other drugs. The intake of the herb can also be dangerous for those who have diabetes because with the hunger mechanism turned-off, blood sugar can get really low.
Hoodia is taking the weight loss industry by storm and some have even called it the 'silver bullet' that will put an end to the obesity problems that have troubled so many people. But what is the real Hoodia story?
This plant has been used for centuries by the San Bushmen in South Africa as an appetite suppressant. They munch on this succulent plant during their long hunting trips where they go for days without eating, and it keeps them from feeling hunger pains. It was only recently that visitors to the region noticed this and became curious about the plant's properties.
Hoodia has the ability to fool the brain into believing that the user has a full stomach, even when little food has been eaten. It just curbs the appetite and does not produce sleeplessness, jitters and other problems like some appetite suppressants do. It can also boost a person's mood and increase energy levels.
The South African government undertook a 30 year investigation to identify the active ingredient in the Hoodia plant that is responsible for appetite suppression. When researchers found it in 1995, they called it P57 and obtained a patent, which was later licensed for commercial purposes.
Other companies soon found out about the magical properties of the Hoodia plant and developed their own weight loss products using various sources. This is where the Hoodia story takes an interesting turn.
There are many different types of Hoodia plants and so far only Hoodia Gordonii has been identified as having the powerful appetite suppressant that causes people to lose weight because they do not feel like eating. The problem is, wild-crafted Hoodia Gordonii grows only in certain parts of Africa and the quantities are very limited.
Some companies started to cultivate their own supply of Hoodia to deal with the supply issue. The problem is that wild-crafted Hoodia takes many years to properly mature but the cultivated Hoodia is not very old and generally not fully mature. This means that the appetite suppressor in the cultivated Hoodia used in supplements sometimes is only 5 percent as potent as it is the wild-crafted Hoodia.
To confuse matters even more, some companies produce supplements that are a combination of wild-crafted Hoodia and the cultivated variety. Fake Hoodia supplements have also shown up on the market that contain no real Hoodia at all.
In addition, some Manufactures of Hoodia supplements also started adding fillers to their capsules so they would not have to use as much expensive Hoodia, but they often do not adjust the price of their product downward. Yes, some Hoodia supplements consist of 90 percent fillers. This has produced higher profits for the sellers but the lower potency has resulted in poorer or no weight loss results for the users.
It is for these reasons that people who consider taking Hoodia to lose weight need to be careful what supplement they buy. First, it is important to check the amount of Hoodia included in each capsule. Second, the manufacturer should have documents that certify where the Hoodia came from and that it was this Hoodia which was utilized in the actual supplement.
CITES Certification verifies that the Hoodia is traceable to its origin from where it was imported by the manufacturer. Independent lab analysis validates that it was the CITES Hoodia that was used to make the supplement and that the contents in the bottle agree with the ingredients label on the bottle. Without these two certifications, the buyer of Hoodia supplements has no idea what was used and from whence it came.
Three of the top brands of Hoodia that have both certifications are Hoodia Balance, Hoodia Prime and Hoodia Gordonii Plus. Users of all three supplements have reported great results but there are important differences in the strength and the manufacturing process of these three.
As with other supplements, it is wise to verify the product before actually using it. With the many suppliers of hoodia gordonii in the Internet, it is best to be cautious and do a thorough comparison of hoodia products before buying one.
People who are a fan of diet pills will have heard of the recently discovered effects of Hoodia gordonii. Hoodia gordonii is an herb found to reduce appetite resulting to weight loss. It has only been popularized recently due to the ban against the diet herb ephedra, which has known to have side effects on its users. And with society dictating that thin is beautiful, everyone is more than welcome to accept a new and thought to be safer diet pill in the market.
Hoodia gordonii is a cactus-like plant found in the deserts of Namibia, Angola, Botswana, and South Africa. It largely resembles a cactus but it isn't really one. Studies show that this succulent plant was being consumed by the San Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert to ward off hunger and thirst during extended periods of hunting. It was known that they would cut off the stem and eat the bitter plant while on a hunting trip. The purple flowers of the hoodia gordonii will take five years before it appears and only then can it be harvested.
There are several varieties of hoodia but only the hoodia gordonii variety is known to have the active ingredient called "p57", also known as steroidal glycoside. The first company to license p57 was Phytopharm and has spent over $20 million dollars in hoodia research. Pfizer, a pharmaceutical giant, recognized the potential of hoodia in the market and asked Phytopharm to allow them to sublicense the rights to develop p57 for commercial production.
Hoodia gordonii gained popularity after a TV correspondent Leslie Stahl traveled all the way to Africa to try hoodia. They hired a local Bushman to track down some hoodia and she tried it for herself. After eating the plant, Stahl has reported that she lost the desired to eat or drink for the rest of the day. She didn't feel any immediate side-effects as well. At present, hoodia gordonii is sold in powder, capsule, liquid or tea form that can be found online and in the local health stores. It is also an ingredient in popular diet pills. Albeit popular, there are no published results of controlled trials that the herb is safe to take in pill form. Hoodia gordonii works by altering the ATP levels so that a person will no longer feel hungry or thirsty.
Although hoodia gordonii is a relatively safe pill to take, its side effects are not known. It may not have side effects on the San Bushmen but that is because they are not taking any other type of medications unlike the populace today. Studies have not been made as to the interaction of the herb to other drugs. The intake of the herb can also be dangerous for those who have diabetes because with the hunger mechanism turned-off, blood sugar can get really low.
Hoodia is taking the weight loss industry by storm and some have even called it the 'silver bullet' that will put an end to the obesity problems that have troubled so many people. But what is the real Hoodia story?
This plant has been used for centuries by the San Bushmen in South Africa as an appetite suppressant. They munch on this succulent plant during their long hunting trips where they go for days without eating, and it keeps them from feeling hunger pains. It was only recently that visitors to the region noticed this and became curious about the plant's properties.
Hoodia has the ability to fool the brain into believing that the user has a full stomach, even when little food has been eaten. It just curbs the appetite and does not produce sleeplessness, jitters and other problems like some appetite suppressants do. It can also boost a person's mood and increase energy levels.
The South African government undertook a 30 year investigation to identify the active ingredient in the Hoodia plant that is responsible for appetite suppression. When researchers found it in 1995, they called it P57 and obtained a patent, which was later licensed for commercial purposes.
Other companies soon found out about the magical properties of the Hoodia plant and developed their own weight loss products using various sources. This is where the Hoodia story takes an interesting turn.
There are many different types of Hoodia plants and so far only Hoodia Gordonii has been identified as having the powerful appetite suppressant that causes people to lose weight because they do not feel like eating. The problem is, wild-crafted Hoodia Gordonii grows only in certain parts of Africa and the quantities are very limited.
Some companies started to cultivate their own supply of Hoodia to deal with the supply issue. The problem is that wild-crafted Hoodia takes many years to properly mature but the cultivated Hoodia is not very old and generally not fully mature. This means that the appetite suppressor in the cultivated Hoodia used in supplements sometimes is only 5 percent as potent as it is the wild-crafted Hoodia.
To confuse matters even more, some companies produce supplements that are a combination of wild-crafted Hoodia and the cultivated variety. Fake Hoodia supplements have also shown up on the market that contain no real Hoodia at all.
In addition, some Manufactures of Hoodia supplements also started adding fillers to their capsules so they would not have to use as much expensive Hoodia, but they often do not adjust the price of their product downward. Yes, some Hoodia supplements consist of 90 percent fillers. This has produced higher profits for the sellers but the lower potency has resulted in poorer or no weight loss results for the users.
It is for these reasons that people who consider taking Hoodia to lose weight need to be careful what supplement they buy. First, it is important to check the amount of Hoodia included in each capsule. Second, the manufacturer should have documents that certify where the Hoodia came from and that it was this Hoodia which was utilized in the actual supplement.
CITES Certification verifies that the Hoodia is traceable to its origin from where it was imported by the manufacturer. Independent lab analysis validates that it was the CITES Hoodia that was used to make the supplement and that the contents in the bottle agree with the ingredients label on the bottle. Without these two certifications, the buyer of Hoodia supplements has no idea what was used and from whence it came.
Three of the top brands of Hoodia that have both certifications are Hoodia Balance, Hoodia Prime and Hoodia Gordonii Plus. Users of all three supplements have reported great results but there are important differences in the strength and the manufacturing process of these three.
As with other supplements, it is wise to verify the product before actually using it. With the many suppliers of hoodia gordonii in the Internet, it is best to be cautious and do a thorough comparison of hoodia products before buying one.
fitbodynow - 16. Nov, 21:04
