What is Hoodia Gordonii?
Hoodia Gordonii is not really a cactus at all, but belongs to a group of plants known as succulents. Hoodia grows in the remote part of the Kalahari desert in South Africa and belongs to a family of plants called the Asclepiadaceae. It can also be found in parts of Namibia, Angola, and Botswana.
Hoodia Gordonii the Plant
It is a spiny, stinky botanical with a fleshy inside, which is what can be eaten to suppress appetite. Because it is found in the desert region it can withstand extreme heat as well as subzero temperatures. This harsh environment makes it difficult to impossible to harvest hoodia outside of southern Africa. Check out our article the plant hoodia gordonii for a more detailed look at this natural wonder.
The San Bushmen
The San people are local aboriginals that have lived in the kalahari desert for thousands of years. It was this group of people that first discovered and used hoodia gordonii, also known as Xhoba or xhooba, to control hunger and thirst while away on long expeditions. It is this unique and rare feature that has captivated the West as well as several large pharmaceutical companies.
What does Hoodia do?
Hoodia Gordonii has been identified as an appetite suppressant that controls caloric intake. Suppressing that hunger feeling can be targeted directly for overweight or obese individuals for healthy weight loss. The plant actually 'tricks' the brain by telling the body it is full. It has been documented to reduce food consumption by as much as 50% in some cases. It is because of this that you now see a handful of products promoting Hoodia Gordonii as a weight loss supplement.
The Benefits of Hoodia Gordonii
Besides the primary benefit of controlling food intake because hoodia is all-natural there are no known side effects. Also, unlike most appetite suppressants it does not contain any 'stimulants' which have been recorded in the past to cause complications when taken. Yes, there is more and more reason to believe in this 'Miracle Plant' called Hoodia Gordonii!
