Hoodia - Does it really work?
For a while now, it seems like one of the things people trying to diet and lose weight can’t stop talking about is Hoodia. And, considering what this herb is supposed to be able to do, that’s no surprise.
What Is Hoodia?
Hoodia is a plant that grows in South Africa, amongst other places. And, according to anecdotal evidence, and a few small but unsubstantiated studies, it can drastically suppress your appetite. As a result, you won’t feel hungry for long periods of time, so you won’t feel the urge to eat. And, since you’ll eat less, you’ll lose weight.
Hoodia first gained widespread attention thanks to Leslie Stahl of 60 Minutes fame. While in Africa, Stahl ate some hoodia that had been located for her by a local Bushman. According to Stahl, she didn’t feel the need to eat anything for the rest of that day.
Every year, millions of people battle with their weight. They try to diet, but those diets often fail due to the hunger they experience on starvation diets, or the cravings they experience on other types of diets.
Those in the pharmaceutical and weight loss industries know there is a profit to be made with any substance that can actually suppress your appetite safely. So there’s no surprise they saw potential in hoodia.
The Hoodia Drawbacks
While hoodia would seem to have a lot of potential as a weight loss aid, there are also quite a few potential drawbacks.
- While there are many varieties of this herb, only one, hoodia gordonii, contains the active ingredient that seems to suppress the appetite. And many people end up purchasing expensive products that don’t contain hoodia gordonii. So these products won’t do much to help them reach their weight loss goals.
- Unfortunately, there are dozens of fake hoodia products on the market. These fakes often don’t contain the right kind of hoodia, or don’t contain it in the correct amounts. Many of these products have also been found to contain substances that could be detrimental to your health.
There is no way for the average person who is trying to lose weight to know whether or not the product they have purchased actually contains the ingredients they really need to suppress their appetites. Not unless they buy the product from a source they completely trust, who themselves bought the product from someone they completely trust, and so on and so forth.
The Evidence On Hoodia
Unfortunately, there is little real, trustworthy evidence about hoodia.
- There haven’t really been any reputable, long term studies to determine hoodia’s effectiveness as an appetite suppressant. Many people claim that it has worked for them, while many others say that it hasn’t, or that they had to take larger doses than recommended for hoodia to suppress their appetite.
- There have been no human studies on any possible, long term side effects hoodia might have on those who take it. Until such long term studies are done, there’s no way to know if hoodia is safe, especially with prolonged use.
- Finally, because hoodia is an herb, many assume that automatically makes it safe. But herbs can be as dangerous as prescription drugs if not used properly.
The jury is very much still out on hoodia. So, if you have been thinking about taking hoodia as part of your weight loss program, you might want to think twice. If you do prefer to take a diet pill, a better option would be Proactol, which works very similiar to the prescription weight loss drug, Xenical, but you don’t need a prescription for it.
You can find out more about Proactol at their website.
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