Hoodia Extract - what exactly is it?
by
site editor Elias J. Derrick, last update: 2/18/2012 4:27:31 PM.
hoodia
The best thing about Hoodia extract is that it can suppress appetite in a powerful way, and do this without side effects.
Hoodia extract is a purified form of the plant which is well known for its appetite suppressing abilities. There are different strengths of Hoodia extract available. Sometimes the Hoodia extract is pure, sometimes the Hoodia extract is mixed. This makes it difficult to choose the product for you.
The first thing to keep in mind is that your Hoodia extract should be an extract of Hoodia gordonii from South Africa. This is because the only type of Hoodia extract which has any appetite suppressing effect is Hoodia gordonii. The only place in the world the plant is grown and harvested to make Hoodia extract is South Africa. This should be advertized on the website where the Hoodia extract is being sold, but if you want to be sure that it is South African Hoodia extract a CITES certificate should either be displayed on the website or available upon request. Any site which does not offer this is either not selling South African Hoodia extract or they are doing it illegally.
The Hoodia extract is in its best form when it is pure and unmixed with filler or another appetite suppressant. Mixing Hoodia extract with other appetite suppressants destroys the side effect free aspect of Hoodia extract. Even if the other appetite suppressant is natural it most likely will still have side effects. It actually takes quite a bit of Hoodia extract to have the desired effect, at least 400mg. If the supplement contains less than this you will most likely find it ineffective.
Traditionally Hoodia and Hoodia extract had been used to treat a variety of syndromes such as hypertension and diabetes. Though it is quite ineffective for those purposes, the appetite suppressing effects of Hoodia extract are undeniable. The active ingredient of Hoodia extract is P-57, which works by convincing the brain that levels of glucose in the blood are very high. This means that Hoodia extract can suppress appetite without being a stimulant.
Pharmaceutical companies are trying to make a synthetic version of Hoodia extract but have so far been unsuccessful. For the next couple years at least the best form of Hoodia extract will be natural Hoodia extract.