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Hoodia Gordonii is a succulent plant found in certain regions of Angola, Namibia, South Africa and Botswana. For thousands of years, the native Bushmen of these areas supposedly warded off hunger and thirst, by cutting off sections of this bitter plant and sucking on it. This is the reason why it has become famous as one of easiest, and most natural, ways in which you can suppress your hunger and thirst. It comes in various forms like capsules, pills, syrups and other medical supplement forms, and is gaining popularity as an extremely good diet pill.

Pfizer began marketing this plant extract, a couple of years ago, and since then, there are many companies, who have started selling Hoodia Gordonii extract to people who want to lose weight. The idea of whether this plant extract can actually induce weight loss is still debatable, and ever since ephedra has been banned by the United States government as a weight loss medium, Hoodia Gordonii seems to have taken over the drivers seat in replacing ephedra.

There are 13 species of Hoodia Gordonii existing in Africa today. Hoodia Gordonii is the Latin name but it is known by other names as well such as: xhooba, ghaap, hoodia cactus, South African desert cactus. It takes about 5 years for this plant to grow to a mature harvesting stage. P57 is a supposed glycoside with steroid affects that is found in the succulent. The research surrounding this particular steroid has cost nearly 20 million USD to a pharmaceutical company called Phytopharm before they sold the rights to Pfizer. It was in 1998, that Pfizer began to focus their research upon weight loss and Hoodia Gordonii. At the present time PhytoPharm still holds the rights to sell P57 extracts in the form of Hoodia weight-loss supplements.

The real hype started a couple of years ago, when an American correspondent for 60 minutes ate some Hoodia and declared that she did not feel any hunger or thirst, for an entire day. She also stated that there were no (immediate) side effects, like palpitations or indigestion. Now that is where the crunch lies.

Scientists might be heavily invested in researching this plant as a good way to lose weight, but even if there are no known immediate side effects, there is always the possibility that someone might notice troubling side effects later down the road. Nevertheless, many people are going to opt for this weight-loss supplement, in any form, be it pill, capsule, liquid, powder, tea or a syrup. Many health food stores have started stocking it, and it is being sold on the Internet in various forms. Nobody really can prove that it is effective in losing weight, but scientists have seen that there is a reaction in the chemical makeup of the brain of rats that are fed P57. They do not know that they are feeling hungry, but then they happen to be rats. One cannot be certain that this is going to have the same affect upon a human being.

There have been cases when people who were suffering in draught affected areas ate large quantities of Hoodia Gordonii to suppress their hunger pangs, only to die of dehydration, because they did not feel any thirst. So, this is a possible side effect of taking this hunger suppressant. If you are really wanting to buy this product, then buyer beware of counterfeit products masquerading as the real thing. It has been touted that as many as 80 percent of Hoodia Gordonii products being sold on the market today have very little of the sought after appetite suppressing compound in them.

When using Hoodia, be aware that you will eat less, so be very selective with your nutritional content, and the remaining calories you do eat. It is advised that you eat a well balanced diet high in fruits and vegetables, and add some lean protein. You may also take vitamin/mineral supplements. Be conscious, also, that your thirst mechanism may be hindered while taking Hoodia, and make sure you drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration complications.

Key Words: Hoodia Gordonii weight loss