Looking for weight loss remedies or a natural cure for obesity? There is an African appetite suppressant – Hoodia, which is said to be effective in weight control and fighting overweight problems.
Hoodia is a genus in the family Apocynaceae. The plant is native to the Kalahari Desert of Africa. There are several species of Hoodia, but Hoodia Gordonii is the only herb containing appetite suppressant.
For people who live in the West where they are fed too much foods and nutrients, they might not understand that the use of this plant for people who often face food shortages. For thousands of years, the South African San people have used hoodia to suppress appetite. They cut off pieces of stalk from the plant and eat them. It is said that, an adult man only needs to eat a small piece of the stalk, then feels no hunger, no desire to eat or drink during a day. The San people who live in the harsh desert conditions relied on hoodia to keep hunger at bay.
Recent years in the West, people discovered the another use of hoodia – fight overweight and obesity, using it for weight loss. In 2004, Hoodia was introduced to the United States as a weight loss herb. Today hoodia is sold as a weight loss dietary supplement.
How does hoodia work on weight loss?
It is very simple: Today in the West, people eat too much foods and nutrients. So reducing food intake is an effective way to control weight and help treat obesity. But the problem is that, for people who are overweight, they often have too good appetite, and many of them are big eaters. They cannot eat less without feel hunger. Hoodia is so magic. It makes you feel full, so you will not want to eat much. When you eat less, naturally, your weight is under control.
Scientists found that hoodia contains an active ingredient named P57, or oxypregnane steroidal glycoside, which is believed to have appetite-suppressing properties. Scientists try to explain how p57 works: P57 acts like glucose on the brain. It leads the brain to feel the stomach is full even when not eaten. The compound reduces hungry feeling by working at the level of the hypothalamus to inhibit hunger signals.
According to an animal study published in the September 2004 issue of Brain Research, the rats receiving the P57 injections ate less than those received placebo injections. Researchers suggested that injections of p57 into the appetite center of rat brains altered levels of ATP, an energy molecule that may affect hunger.
Hoodia is available for purchase in health supplement stores in the United States and other countries.
Please note, hoodia might have side effects. It has not been evaluated by the FDA for safety. Hoodia’s potential risks, interactions with medicines have not been studied. Before using hoodia products for weight loss, please consult your doctor and read the instructions on the label of the product.
References
- Maharaj, VJ, Senabe, JV, and Horak, RM. 2008. Hoodia, a case study at CSIR. Science real and relevant: 2nd CSIR Biennial Conference, CSIR International Convention Centre Pretoria, 17&18 November 2008, pp 4
- MacLean DB, Luo L-G. Increased ATP content/production in the hypothalamus may be a signal for energy sensing of satiety: studies of the anorectic mechanism of a plant steroidal glycoside. Brain Res 2004; 1020:1-11.
