Hoodia Gordonii is a true gift from nature that promotes weight loss. Being overweight and obese, as well as having diabetes and related problems, has taken over the world like a disastrous epidemic over the last few decades and people are ready to do just about anything to get rid of these problems.
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| Health Benefits of Hoodia Gordonii |
This started an endless search for natural products, synthetic medicines, and diet plans that could help people lose weight. Hoodia Gordonii is one of the most promising finds in this endless search.
Over the last few years, the demand for Hoodia and Hoodia-based products has risen surprisingly. Hoodia may not be a well known name in many Asian and African countries, because obesity has not been such a big problem here due to food habits and lifestyle. However, the scenario is changing and obesity is spreading its roots in these places too, but it is a major issue in European and American countries.
Let’s explore what it is, its available forms, its uses, and why it is so popular, so that before you try some Hoodia product, you are well aware of all the information. It is always safer to be informed.
Although a lot of information on Hoodia is available on the Internet, let me give a few more facts and important details.
What is Hoodia Gordonii?
Hoodia is a succulent, fleshy cactus-like plant of the Asclepiad family, which is an original inhabitant of the Kalahari desert in Africa. Among its many varieties, Hoodia Gordonii is the most popular because its extracts suppress hunger and effectively helps reduce weight and fat percentage. It is available on the market in many forms, including pills, capsules, juice, complexes, chews, diet supplements, and even lollipops.
Unprocessed Hoodia may show some side effects such as dry mouth and liver problems. Once growing naturally and abundantly in Africa, wild Hoodia Gordonii has now became a rare sight there because of over exploitation, due to the discovery of its appetite suppressing properties. Many think that it is a variety of Cactus, but if I tell them that the well-known, much heard of, and even more misunderstood Cactus Gordonii Hoodia is not a Cactus at all, they will be taken aback. Believe me, I am absolutely right. Just like “All That is Gold Does Not Glitter”, all the plants with spongy and fleshy leaves that bear thorns are not cacti. Hoodia Gordonii forms an integral component of many weight loss drugs, due to its appetite suppressing properties.
Hoodia Availability in the Market
Most of the Hoodia available in the market is not the natural African Gordonii Hoodia, but rather the commercially grown Hoodia from other parts of the world. Does that make any difference? Apparently not! Because their properties remain almost the same, except in the commercially grown ones, you may find some traces of artificial fertilizers. If you don’t want that, make sure that you buy genuine African Hoodia Gordonii.
Hoodia as an Appetite Suppressant
Hoodia is today’s answer for the millions across the world who want to shed some pounds off their bodies and look slimmer. How does it do this? The chemical composition of Hoodia resembles that of Glucose or acts as Pseudo-Glucose, but is far more powerful than glucose in its glucose-like behavior. They send the brain chemical signals that the stomach is full and that the body does not want any more food. When absorbed in the body, the body thinks that it has consumed some very high-energy giving food (which is not so) and gives the brain a chemical message with that information.
The brain, in turn, immediately rings the body, giving instructions to stop eating. This kills the appetite and the body is kept unfed so it uses its own stores of fat to meet its energy requirements. What is the result? No energy consumed under the facade of high-energy food. What about body’s fat store? It is burnt, thereby helping you lose weight.


