Hoodia gordonii looks like a cactus, but it’s actually a succulent from the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. Bushmen from the area have been using hoodia for centuries to help ward off hunger during long trips in the desert.

Hoodia is sold in capsule, liquid, or tea form in health food stores and on the Internet. Hoodia gordonii can be found in the semi-deserts of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola.

Hoodia grows in clumps of green upright stems and is actually a succulent, not a cactus. It takes about 5 years before hoodia’s pale purple flowers appear and the cactus can be harvested. Although there are 20 types of hoodia, only the hoodia gordonii variety is believed to contain the natural appetite suppressant.

Hoodia gordonii is entirely natural – it is not a drug. Pharmaceutical companies find it so promising, however, that they are trying to isolate the appetite-suppressing molecule, P57, to create a patented diet drug in the future.

In 2001 Phytopharm completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study in overweight, but otherwise healthy volunteers using the P57 extract from Hoodia gordonii.

The participants were split into two groups, one group received the P57 and the other received a placebo. Both groups were told to continue their normal diet and exercise. The results were as follows:

When comparing the P57 group to the Placebo group:
The P57 group had a statistically significant reduction in body fat.
The P57 group had a statistically significant reduction in caloric intake.
The P57 had no adverse side effects.

On average the P57 group ate about 1,000 calories a day less than those in the control group. To put that in perspective, the average American man consumes about 2,600 calories a day; a woman about 1,900.

There have not been any side effects reported from eating Hoodia or from taking the P-57 molecule. Remember, for thousands of years that Bushmen have eaten hoodia gordonii plants with no ill side effects.

How can P57 (and Hoodia Gordonii) really suppress appetite to such a great extent?

It is believed that Hoodia (and more specifically the p-57 in the hoodia) imitates the effect glucose has on nerve cells in the brain.

Basically, hoodia fools the brain into thinking it’s full when it’s not. So, your brain sends the signal that it is full and this cuts your urge to snack on unhealthy food. In fact, hoodia is more powerful than glucose in telling the brain that you are full.

If you’re on the Internet searching for hoodia, it’s almost impossible to know you’re buying the real deal. There are simply far too many con artists on the loose, and they know that people are desperate for hoodia. Everybody wants to lose weight, right?

But beware! If I were you, I wouldn’t buy from just anybody. It’s hard to know who to trust in this emerging, high-profit business. Anybody can throw powder into a capsule and claim it’s hoodia, but can they prove it?

Tips To Buy Real Hoodia Gordonii

People have different views when there is a debate on Hoodia products.

Hence it is very important to take a look at some of the common guidelines to nullify the chances of buying fake products and maximize the chances of getting a real Hoodia product.

To select a good Hoodia product you must know the following facts about Hoodia:

• There are many types of Hoodia plants, but only Hoodia Gordonii species have appetite-suppressing effects. The main point is to note that you should not buy the product with label “100% natural Hoodia.” Of course you are buying natural Hoodia but not the desired Hoodia Gordonii.

• If you are buying Hoodia Gordonii online then you must see CITES certificate issued by International trade laws. Only then you can be confirmed that you are buying natural Hoodia Gordonii.

• Lots of Hoodia products are prepared from the whole plants. The Hoodia Gordonii plant has fibrous material, skin, leaves, flowers, etc., which has no active ingredient that assists in weight loss. So do not look for quantity. The active ingredient is found in the core. Prefer product if it is prepared by concentration.

• On some products you will read 10:1 that means 10 grams of plant was used to prepare 1 gram of Hoodia Gordonii powder to fill pills and capsules. If you consider this, you will note why it is better to buy 500 mg product than buying 1000 mg Hoodia Gordonii of other brand name if first one contain only concentration and the second is prepared by whole plant.

• The last and final thing to remember is that many of the Hoodia products contain metabolic boosters that increase metabolic rate of your organism. This is always not a bad sign because Hoodia itself cannot speed up metabolism. It only reduces amount of food you take.

• However, some manufacturers believe that natural stimulants can help you in increasing your metabolic rate, which is a plus. These types of natural stimulants help in burning fat.

• If you do not react to stimulants such as caffeine, then it is better to avoid any other Hoodia product and concentrate only on buying real Hoodia Gordonii.

• Hoodia Gordonii is 100 % natural and herbal. It has no side effects. Any one can use these products. This can be purchased from the market in the form of powder, pills or capsules.

If you study these tips carefully before buying Hoodia Gordonii then you will never buy a fake product.

Ernest Uhanson
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/hoodia-gordonii-helps-you-lose-weight-67020.html

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