Hoodia gordonii is a plant that is grown in the desserts of South Africa. It has been known for centuries by the local population to be an effective appetite and thirst suppressant which can be a very helpful tool when you are trying to lose weight. Hoodia comes in capsule, liquid, soft chew, and even tea form and is readily available at health food stores and online. Hoodia isn’t a brand, it’s an ingredient so you have many brands to choose from, just make sure that you find a brand that has only pure hoodia and check the concentration since it can range from 250 mg all the way up to 1,000 mg per tablet and that is one factor that can cause a variation in hoodia results.

There are approximately 20 varieties of hoodia but the appetite suppressant is only found in the hoodia gordonii which is often referred to as a cactus, but in reality it is a succulent and can take up to 5 years to mature and be harvested.

In all the years that it has been sold as a diet supplement, there have been no signs of any negative side effects associated with the consumption of hoodia, and if you look at the bushman of Africa who have been eating the plant for centuries with no ill effects it would seem to suggest that this is a safe diet supplement. It’s important to remember that one of the side effects is also a decrease in thirst so make sure you drink plenty of water throughout your day, even if you don’t feel thirsty.

There haven’t been many studies done to ascertain the true effectiveness of hoodia. The only one that I have been able to find took 18 subjects and divided them into two groups, one group received a hoodia supplement and the other a placebo. After 15 days the group who was given the hoodia had lost weight and were eating an average of 1,000 calories per day less than those taking the placebo.

There was also a test done on rats which injected the hoodia directly into their brains with the effect being a reduction in the amount they ate. That study has to be taken with a grain of salt since it was performed on rats and since the hoodia was directly injected into their brains rather than administered via pill form as would be the case for humans.

While there is no real substantiated medical proof that hoodia is an effective diet aid, the anecdotal evidence, while not scientific, would seem to suggest a correlation between hoodia intake and a reduction in appetite. The bottom line is this: even if there is limited scientific study that backs up the claims of what hoodia can do, there is also a lack of evidence suggesting it can be harmful so what have you go to lose? Why not give it a try for yourself and you can find out what hoodia results you get… which is all that really matters anyway!

Tags: Africa, Appetite Suppressant, Brains, Bushman, Cactus, Calories, Calories Per Day, Centuries, Concentration, Consumption, Desserts, Diet Supplement, health food stores;, Healthy Diet, helpful tool, Hoodia Gordonii, Ill Effects, Losing Weight, Placebo, Pure Hoodia, Rats, South Africa, Succulent, Thirst, Variation —

Eureka! We’ve finally made it, now we really can eat candy and lose weight thanks to hoodia power pops. The wonderful little lollipops are infused with genuine hoodia to help suppress your appetite between meals while also allowing you to indulge your sweet tooth in a guilt free way.

For those of you who aren’t really sure what hoodia is, here is an overview:

1. Hoodia is a plant that grows exclusively in the Kalahari desert in South Africa. The plant has been known for centuries by the native bushmen as an effective appetite and thirst suppressant.

2. Hoodia is thought to work by tricking the brain into thinking that the body is full, thus effectively shutting down the appetite. If you don’t feel hungry, you won’t eat as much in between meals as well as during your meals and less food intake will result in weight loss.

3. When purchasing a supplement containing hoodia you must make sure that it’s the hoodia gordonii variety that has been added and not some other form of hoodia (there are over 20 different varieties but only the gordonii has been shown to have the P57 compound which scientists have isolated as the compound that provides the appetite suppressant.)

4. The P57 compound is not in the roots or skins of the hoodia plant, only in the core. Therefore make sure that the supplements you purchase are made up with only core hoodia powder and not whole powder since whole powder will have a much lower concentration of P57 and won’t work as effectively (though it will be considerably less expensive).

5. While there has been no documentation of any dangerous side effects from hoodia the one thing that you do need to be careful about is not eating or drinking enough. Even though you are dieting you don’t want to starve your body and the appetite suppressant can be powerful enough so that many people forget to eat. Hoodia is also a thirst suppressant so be very careful to drink plenty of water throughout your day when taking the supplement.

6. Make sure that you enter into your diet program with the right frame of mind. Hoodia has millions of loyal fans who swear by it’s effectiveness but you still have to alter your lifestyle and eat plenty of low fat, high nutrient food and get a lot of exercise if you want to see the full effects… and keep those changes permanently.

The power pop diet recommends that you have one sucker along with 8 ounces of water 30 minutes prior to each meal during the day to help you eat less and feel sated more quickly.

While hoodia power pops may sound like a dieters dream come true, it’s important to remember that they aren’t magic. When it comes to losing weight and maintaining a safe weight for life you have to remember that it’s all about what you eat, drink and how much exercise you get. Using supplements to help you stay on course is a great idea, but don’t enter into a diet thinking that your old habits can continue, that approach won’t work for the long run and you’ll only end up failing.

Tags: Appetite Suppressant, Brain, Bushmen, Candy, Centuries, Concentration, Dangerous Side Effects, food intake;, Guilt, Healthy Diet, Hoodia Gordonii, Hoodia Plant, Kalahari Desert, less food intake, Losing Weight, nutrient food, pence, Roots, Scientists, Skins, South Africa, Supplements, Sweet Tooth, Thirst, Weight Loss —