The Newest Fad In Dieting Products
Weigh loss supplements have always drawn a following of believers. Those who are looking for a specific pill that will make the weight magically fall off their frame. The Hoodia gordonii plant is found growing wild in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa. It is the only Hoodia of more than thirteen species that has a molecule that works as an appetite suppressant. The plant looks like a cactus but is a succulent. It has spines and skin that are peeled off before the Bushmen ate the heart of the plant. The plant grows in clumps like a cactus would and is topped with flowers that are normally pale purple but have been known to be darker. The taste is slightly bitter if you eat the heart straight from the plant. The Bushmen of South Africa have eaten the Hoodia plant for thousands of years with no obvious side effects.
Many overweight Americans and others around the world have been searching for the answer to cravings and excess hunger when they are dieting. Hoodia gordonii may provide the answer to the prayers of all overweight people around the world. Some dieters who have used Hoodia say it is the greatest find ever in weight loss products, others say it did nothing for them at all. So who is right? To know the answer you need to look at the history, the publicity, and the types of products that are available.
Hoodia has been widely publicized by the media. Reports on the BBC, 60 Minutes, and stories have popped up on the other major networks. Oprah featured it in her “O” magazine and there are Hoodia testimonials scattered all over the Internet. With the increased exposure came many companies who began providing Hoodia that was impure or just plain fake. Of course the people who ran across the fake or impure Hoodia would have nothing good to say about the product! It has to be the “real” Hoodia gordonii to work.
The only Hoodia gordonii plant of the more than thirteen species that has the molecule that suppresses appetite is found in the plant that comes from the Kalahari Desert in South Africa. It is as simple as that. The South African government has placed the plant under a protected status and a company must have a CITES certificate to export the Hoodia plant from South Africa. The South African government has begun to cultivate the Hoodia gordonii plant on government run farms. The plant is being cultivated and altered slightly to have a shorter maturity time. The plant that grows in the wild takes about five years to reach the point it can be harvested. The Hoodia on the farms are being bred to mature in less than three years. It is said to still have the p57 molecule that suppresses appetite.
Are you ready to jump on to the newest fad bandwagon? If so, there are important facts you will need to know. First, beware of Hoodia supplements that are too cheap. The South African government tightly controls pure Hoodia. Yes, Hoodia grows in other parts of the world, but remember; only the Hoodia gordonii plant in South Africa has the appetite-suppressing molecule! A recent study by an independent lab found that eleven of seventeen products advertised to be pure Hoodia were genuine.
