Hoodia, a plant similar to a cactus, is found in the African continent. Hoodia became well-known recently because it was said to facilitate weight loss.Found in Kalahari Desert, hoodia is a bitter tasting, succulent plant with purple colored flowers, and these flowers take five years to appear on this plant.

For years Hoodia provided the Bushmen in Kalafari sustenance when they go off for extended hunting activities. they used the stem to stave of hunger and thirst. The steroidal glycoside known as p57 are found in the thirteen types of Hoodia. Due to recent media coverage Hoodia has become the favorite diet pills for celebrities and others.

How Does Hoodia Work 

In its pure form, hoodia is all natural, and is not known to cause any side-effects. Phytopharm had conducted a study in UK, and it revealed that average hoodia test subjects were able to reduce their calorie intake by more than 1,000 daily for 14 days, hence aiding the weight loss.

Hoodia helps fight with hunger rather than increasing the rate at which body burns fat. Thus weight loss is done safely 

Hoodia works in accordance with the body and does not alter its metabolic functions. The feeling of being full is experienced due to the workings of p57 on the brain. In any form, hoodia is simple to use and you do not need to put any extra hours to lose weight. It is recommended though that hoodia intake should be complemented with diet and exercise.

There are those who declared that they lost weight on mainly ingesting Hoodia diet pills but that alone is not enough.Others did not lose weight by ingesting the pills. Hoodia works by suppressing the appetite, but it does not address the problem of overeating. 

Testing For Real Hoodia 

The only way to find out if hoodia is real or not is to submit a sample to the laboratory. There are TLC, HPLC and Microscopy tests that are able to confirm if hoodia is real or not. The distributors have to be able to present the document,C.I.T.E.S. import licenses, given when it came into the US. Phony Hoodia products make up eighty percent of those found in the market and the sole process which can determine its authenticity is a laboratory testing.

Phony and mixed hoodia are present because it is rare Cultivating Hoodia is hard and four to five years is needed for it to reach maturity in a temperate climate.