Hoodia gordonii is a cactus-like plant that grows in the Kalahari Desert. It has been known to the Bushmen of the region as an excellent food substitute. Eating even a little bit of this plant can remove any further desire to eat or drink. As you might imagine, this is ideal in the desert where both food and water are scarce. This appetite suppressing ability became known to the western world only in the mid 90s, after years of research that cost over $20 million dollars.

The active ingredient that causes appetite suppression was isolated and named p57. It was also patented in 1995. This ingredient imitates the effect of glucose on the nerve cells in our brain and creates the illusion that we are full.

This is how it works:

Nerve cells in our mid-brain (the hypothalamus) have nerve cells that can sense glucose. When we eat, the glucose level in our blood is increased. When this glucose level is high enough, the nerve cells start firing signals for us to stop eating.

When this happens, we lose our desire to consume more food. The p57 in hoodia gordonii is  20 times more effective than glucose is on the nerve cells in the hypothalamus. Because of this, when you consume even a little bit of hoodia, the nerve cells start firing signals to stop eating. You lose all desire to consume more food, even though you haven’t actually eaten anything.

Controlled experiments have proven that people who consumed hoodia gordonii ate around 1,000 calories less on average. This is great news for the weight loss industry. One of the biggest challenges with losing weight is overcoming hunger and food cravings. If these problems can be solved, it should be very easy to lose weight and control obesity. This is the benefit that Hoodia Gordonii offers.

The hoodia gordonii plant has been known to the Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert for thousands of years. As they lived, hunted and traveled through the arid desert, they ate a bit of the plant as a food substitute. This plant works amazingly well as a food substitute in the desert region because it kills one’s desire to eat or drink anything. This is extremely useful in the desert where both food and water are extremely scarce and difficult to carry around.

The hoodia gordonii plant is considered to be a cactus because it looks like one. In fact, it isn’t a cactus at all. It’s a succulent plant that grows in the Kalahari Desert. It belongs to the genus Trichocaulon (family name – Asclepiadaceae.) Hoodia gordonii grows in clumps of green stems that grow upright.

It takes about five years for hoodia gordonii’s pale purple flowers to appear. The plant can only be harvested after the appearance of these flowers. The texture of the plant is like a cucumber, according to Leslie Stahl, a correspondent with the TV show 60 Minutes. She traveled all the way to Africa to try out hoodia.

The amazing appetite suppressing ability of the hoodia gordonii plant comes from a single active ingredient which was isolated in South Africa’s national laboratory, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) by a group of scientists. It was called p57. Although there are around 13 varieties of the hoodia plant, only hoodia gordonii has this ingredient.

Attempts have been made to produce this ingredient synthetically (notably by Pfizer), but the cost of doing so is prohibitive and the project was abandoned. Currently, the british pharmaceuticals company Phytopharm holds the license for hoodia gordonii.

One of the good products out there that use the power of the cactus to help people lose weight is Hoodia Gordonii Plus. If you want to lose weight, it’s something you should check out.

When it comes to helping people lose weight or fight obesity, hoodia gordonii is considered by some to be a miracle drug. The ability of Hoodia Gordonii to suppress the appetite is of immense benefit to people who want to lose weight.  Hoodia gordonii has the ability to make your brain cells believe that you’re full, even if you haven’t eaten anything.  This can lead to weight loss in one of the most natural ways.

It’s no wonder that hoodia gordonii has become extremely popular. A plethora of hoodia products are available everywhere you look. Because of this, it’s important to be very careful when you buy a hoodia gordonii supplement. There are a number of fake products out there that are  trying to make a fast buck.

Here are some tips to help you buy the right hoodia gordonii supplement:

• Ensure that the hoodia gordonii supplement you are buying comes from a reliable manufacturer. You can gauge this by looking for a certification from CITES on the packaging of the supplement. CITES is a body that regulates the export of Hoodia from the Kalahari desert and only delivers to reliable manufacturers.

• Also ensure that the hoodia gordonii supplement has been verified by a testing lab. If it has, there will be lab report accompanying the supplement. The lab report should testify that the product contains all the ingredients it says it does.

• It is important to know that hoodia gordonii supplements are very expensive. This is because they grow only in one region of the world and have to be guarded against extinction. An extremely cheap hoodia gordonii supplement is likely to be fake.

• Most leading manufacturers offer a money back or a no risk guarantee with their hoodia gordonii product. Ensure that the supplement you are buying can be returned for a full refund in case you aren’t fully satisfied with it.