Natural Weight Loss

What Is The Hoodia Cactus?

The Hoodia cactus is a bitter tasting plant whose full name is Hoodia gordonii. This particular plant can grow to a height of 6 foot and is found in the Namibian Desert and grows especially well on the plains or in rock outcrops. It is also known as the Bushman's Hat and Queen of the Namib. It is the Hoodia gordonii which is being investigated to see if it is a viable product to be used for suppressing people's appetites.

For hundreds of years now the Hoodia cactus has been used by Southern African tribesmen in order to help treat indigestion problems as well as infections. Often it will be eaten by them when they are away for long periods of time on hunting trips. In order to be eaten the skin and the spines need to be removed before it can be consumed.

In fact there probably isn't anyone in the world of dieting who has not heard about the extract that can be obtained from this particular cactus plant. Across the world numerous programs on TV have been devoted to seeing why this particular product has become the fastest growing diet supplement on the market today.

However, it is important that when you decide to use Hoodia cactus extract, you should only use that comes from the Hoodia gordonii. It is this particular cactus which contains properties that help to suppress the appetite. In studies carried out by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), it was found that not only was this plant non toxic but it also helped to suppress the appetite and thirst. The CSIR was then able to isolate the active ingredient within the Hoodia cactus which provided the action that causes a person's appetite to be suppressed. It is called P57.

The rights to this particular extract were then sold to the British pharmaceutical company Phytopharm. Yet although they have the patent rights to extract the molecule known as P57 from the Hoodia gordonii cactus plant and use it in their line of products, there is some research into creating a synthetic form of it. This is due to the Hoodia cactus being very limited in numbers and where it will grow. In fact, any companies seeking to procure it are required to obtain a special license. There is some concern (the plant is listed as "red" on the endangered list) that it will soon face extinction.

Natural Weight Loss