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Archive for August, 2009

More about Hoodia

Aug 29

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Hoodia appeared in the American market as a natural appetite suppressant helping overweight people in their fight against obesity. Though in appearance hoodia resembles a cactus, it is actually a succulent. It grows naturally in the semi desert area of South Africa where the indigenous San Bushmen have been chewing on it to ward off hunger during their long trips gathering and hunting. San Bushmen have lived in the Kalahari desert for close to 270 centuries.

Speaking on ABC News, Andries Steenkamp, a spokesperson for the San people, said that the San people use pure hoodia as a medicine and to suppress hunger and thirst during lean periods. Hoodia cannot be described as a drug nor is it a stimulant. Smelling an opportunity, pharmaceutical companies are exploring the possibility of synthesizing the essential ingredient called P57. If they succeed, they can patent it

How does hoodia work? Of all the various varieties of hoodia, only the type called gordonii has the appetite suppressing element which works on the brain like natural glucose by producing a perception of fullness. If this indeed happens, intake of calories can fall by nearly 1000 calories a day.
In an interview to BBC, Phytopharm’s Dr. Richard Dixey elaborated on how P57 worked. Within the human brain, the thalamus is the center which controls hunger. With intake of food the blood sugar goes up activating cells within the thalamus which transmit signals indicating fullness. With hoodia this happens with no food being eaten because it contains a more powerful element that fools the brain.

How fast will hoodia work? Some people claim that they have felt effect with minutes. But realistically speaking it takes two weeks of regular consumption to produce effect.  This could range from reduced desire for food, longer gaps between pangs of hunger, faster fullness and a sense of well-being.

Does hoodia have secondary effects? Hoodia gordonii does not seem to have any side effects. Of course individual reactions to substances vary. It is best to consult one’s doctor for advice before going on a course of hoodia.

It will be years before P57 is synthesized and drugs available in the market. Meanwhile, natural pure hoodia is available in many forms. That said, exercise caution before consuming any of it, because many of them have been found to contain no hoodia or worse are contaminated. That is why it pays to be wary when it comes to taking any hoodia supplement that is available. It would be advisable to take it under a doctor’s supervision in case of any untoward effects or reactions with medication you might already be taking. It would also help to do a bit of research and buy the brand that actually contains pure, natural hoodia with no additives.

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Hoodia Results

Aug 29

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There have been informal and formal studies of hoodia gordonii as an appetite suppressant both of which have shown encouraging results. While no unpleasant side effects have been shown as always medical advice should be taken before embarking on a weight loss program.

Hoodia has been much in the news and people naturally want to know more about it. This natural appetite suppressant can be found growing wild only in parts of southern Africa and is not easy to cultivate. The San natives there were the first to notice this appetite suppressing quality. The lab tests on animals conducted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa in 1963 gave the same results without any obvious bad effect. Smelling an opportunity, a British pharmaceutical company conducted their own studies. Their results, out in 2001, declared positive results on obese volunteers. Calorie intake dropped and body fat reduced. This study was followed by one conducted by the Brown University at Rhode Island in 2004. Their results revealed that on rats, hoodia produced raised levels of ATP, a neurotransmitter and source of energy in cells. Food intake dropped by nearly half in a 24 hour period.
Most of people’s concern center around side effects and safety. By and large appetite suppressants have stimulants which produce unpleasant side effects like loss of sleep and increased heart rate. In the case of Ephedra, death itself has been reported.  Use of hoodia is said to suppress thirst also along with appetite. Dieters need to be aware of this and drink enough water so as not to cause dehydration.  The results of the extensive clinical studies conducted Phytopharm are awaited. US doctors who have some interest in hoodia have investigated it casually and found no secondary effects. One must discuss hoodia with a doctor before consuming it. Those with medical issues should keep away from it. The informal studies have shown that results vary with individuals. Products differ in the ingredients they contain.
A South African non-profit organization, hoodia gordonii.co.za seeks to educate people about hoodia supplements. Tests which they sponsored and Alkemists Pharmaceuticals Laboratories conducted did not produce encouraging results. Many of the products tested falsely claimed to contain hoodia powder. The complete results of these tests have been posted on their website. Some of the manufacturers have conducted investigations of their own keeping the concern of customers in mind.  But several of the hoodia products have not undergone any tests.
A point to remember is that positive results in animals do not guarantee the same in humans.  People have to deal with issues like binge eating, eating to kill boredom and psychological cravings for food. Hoodia, even if it lives up to its promise of suppressing appetite will not be a magic wand to wipe out obesity.

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A Closer Look At Hoodia Gordonii

Aug 29

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Let’s take a look at hoodia gordonii, the succulent plant which has the world in a tizzy promising to open the doors to a slimmer world. The plant grows in South Africa as well as in Botswana, Namibia and a few surrounding states. It is spiny and leafless and it has a strong smelling flower which reminds you of rotting meat – the pollination of the plants is done by flies. The San bushmen in these areas called it ‘hoba’ and they used the plant when they went on their hunting trips into the desert to suppress their hunger and thirst. The plant is medicinal and is also used to treat infections and indigestion.

It was the CSIR or the Council of scientific Research in South Africa where the ingredient P57 was first extracted from this plant and it was patented. The rights were then sold to the British pharmaceutical company, Phytopharm. Part of the profits will go to the San bushmen who helped in identifying the plant and taught the world about its extraordinary properties. They entered into collaboration with Pfizer to market it but Pfizer backed out and the contract went to Unilever. So did Pfizer think that it would not work on obesity cases? Or was the fact that there were indications to state that the extract affected the liver the reason? One does not know but now, one wonders whether or not the product from Phytopharm will make its appearance as a prescription drug or a supplement which will be more suited to Unilever’s marketing strengths.

Thus far, people are only going by the fact that this is a natural product that has been used for centuries so they feel that it cannot be harmful. No proper studies have been done, the only research that has been done and the findings made public has been done on rats not human beings. This still does not deter manufacturers or customers from marketing and buying hoodia gordonii products. The only thing to take note of is to go to a supplier who is known and who has all the certifications that the product contains real hoodia gordonii – in its pure, potent form, unmixed with anything else.

Though there have been a few small group studies that have been done – most of them successful, they have not been reviewed in peer group journals. Maybe the fact that it is being sold still as a supplement does not bring it into the strict rules that govern pharmaceutical products.

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Hoodia Weight Loss Scam

Aug 29

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The way it is advertised, you would think that hoodia is the magic wand that just needs to be waved to solve all your overweight problems. As though it a flash, the pounds would melt away, leaving a trim, slim you. The promises and the claims that you see spouted both in the printed media and on online sites portray hoodia as the great answer to the problem of obesity today.

So why should it be a scam? We don’t say that every brand is running a scam but consumers must be aware that many hoodia manufacturers tom-tom about the goodness of their product when in fact each capsule might contain just a minuscule amount of hoodia gordonii or worse, horror of horrors, there be no hoodia in it at all. How can manufacturers scam their buyers so impudently? Unfortunately, supplement do not go through stringent checks like prescription drugs and they are not scrutinized by the FDA so they get away with a lot of leeway when it comes to the actual contents of their product or of the promises they make. Just because many of these substances are classified as natural, they escape the very strict testing that any drug would have to go through.

When the plant was first identified as being able to suppress hunger, there was so much excitement in every hoodia gordonii review and this feeling has never quite died because it is what has given so many hope that they will lose weight. The thing is, the way it works is still unclear and one wonders if the promise of weight loss is all it takes to sell any product to a world that is obsessed with being thin. Yes, pure hoodia was used very successfully by the bushmen to contain their pangs of hunger and thirst but will the powder or the extracts or the concentrates work as well? Should it be eaten fresh like they did – breaking off a piece of the succulent plant and eating it, not storing it? Questions – so many of them and no answers yet. Meanwhile the world goes on with the fat and obese eyeing this new entrant into the market with awe and hoping it will make them step into a slimmer world.

True, many hoodia brands from the established manufacturers have certification that they contain the real hoodia gordonii and that they are pure with no additives. However, there are many who sell hoodia combined with so many other herbal powders – maybe all good in themselves but the hoodia content might not be enough to do the job it should. Therefore it is vital to ensure that what you are buying is the pure and potent hoodia and that the supplement contains hoodia and nothing but hoodia gordonii.

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Weight Loss With Hoodia

Aug 29

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With obesity and weight loss cures being of great interest to the world today, hoodia gordonii has been receiving vast amounts of media attention as a natural appetite suppressant. Because of this, most companies marketing health supplements and weight loss remedies have added hoodia gordonii products to their shelves.

Hoodia gordonii is being marketed indiscriminatingly, and many of these supplements do not contain 100% real hoodia gordonii, or else are using a minuscule amount in their herbal mix, but making far fetched claims about its proficiency.

Some facts about hoodia gordonii may help us to make the right choices:

There are many species of hoodia, but only one species – hoodia gordonii has been found to contain an active ingredient that resulted in loss of hunger and thirst.

Hoodia gordonii grows wild in the deserts of Southern Africa. This plant is difficult to cultivate and attempts to grow it in the deserts of America and Mexico have not been successful. Hoodia gordonii is already on the endangered list and access to this plant is through a CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) certificate issued by the proper authorities. As it takes 5 to 7 years for hoodia gordonii to be mature enough to be harvested, one can see that large quantities of this plant are not freely available. During the 1960s, the South African CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research), in partnership with Phytopharm, a British company began a study on hoodia gordonii. The active ingredient in hoodia gordonii, responsible for appetite suppression was isolated and named P57.

Phytopharm, the company responsible for bring hoodia gordonii to the attention of the world is presently in phase II of its five phase clinical trials of hoodia gordonii and has not as yet released any of its own products containing hoodia gordonii to the market. Clinical trials so far indicate that hoodia gordonii has no side effects, but research on hoodia gordonii in conjunction with other herbs and natural stimulants like green tea has not yet commenced. In the meantime, this “natural obesity cure” has caught the attention of the world thanks to extensive media coverage, including a BBC reporter who went out to Southern Africa and personally tried out hoodia gordonii for herself.

Since many natural and herbal cures have been as successful in the powdered form as in the original, most supplements containing hoodia gordonii have used some amount of the powdered supplement or the active ingredient P57 in their products.

It is possible that some companies have not used 100% pure hoodia gordonii in their products, or have even used some other specie of hoodia.

To be completely safe, if you are planning to add hoodia gordonii to your weight loss regime, please do so under the guidance of your physician. When buying hoodia gordonii, please see if the label has a USDA certificate. Hoodia gordonii is imported from Africa and so the label should have a CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) certificate, as well. Also check that the label names the certified laboratory that has tested and authenticated the presence of 100% real hoodia gordonii in the product.

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The Question of How Much Hoodia

Aug 29

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No research has as yet been undertaken to determine what a standard dosage of Hoodia gordonii should be. Clinical trials of hoodia gordonii are still underway.

100% real hoodia gordonii has not shown any side effects in the clinical trials that have taken place so far, but most of the hoodia products available on the market today are usually combined with other herbal supplements. Any side effects from these hoodia gordonii products, for example, headaches, dizziness, and nervousness have been attributed to other natural stimulants that have been combined with hoodia gordonii. Green tea for one, contains caffeine and may produce any of the symptoms described above.

As most of the hoodia gordonii products contain various forms of herbal supplements, it makes sense to follow the instructions of the manufacturer. Some products contain more hoodia gordonii than others do and there seems to some indication that the dosage required may be individual rather than standard. Some people require more hoodia gordonii to suppress their appetite; others find a very small amount does the job for them. As with any product that does not have substantial research behind it, make sure that you take hoodia gordonii under the guidance of your physician and that you remain monitored by him while you are on it.

Pregnant or nursing women should very definitely not take any hoodia gordonii at all. There has been no research done in this area at all and do remember that hoodia gordonii originally came to our attention as the plant that was consumed by the bushmen of Southern Africa to stave off hunger and thirst during long hunting expedition – no pregnant women possible ever joined those expeditions!

People with medical complications should consult their physicians before taking hoodia gordonii. While no side effects to 100% real Hoodia gordonii have been reported, there is evidence that it may raise one’s metabolic rate. Also, hoodia gordonii is usually sold in combination with other herbal supplements, and no clinical trials have been run on these combinations. Your physician will know your entire medical history and will be able to advice you on which combinations are safe for you, as well as the dosage that would suit you.

Hoodia gordonii is merely an appetite suppressant. As any dieter should know, this is not the only requirement to a healthy and permanent weight loss. Anyone wanting to lose weight and keep it off permanently will realize that a healthier lifestyle has to be adopted and maintained with a proper diet and exercise plan. Where hoodia gordonii will help, is in the beginning, when one is trying to overcome physical and psychological habits of wrong diet. Once past that initial hurdle, hoodia gordonii will have done its job and one will have embarked on a happier, healthier and slimmer life.

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All About Hoodia Gordonii

Aug 29

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There are all kinds of facts and information available about hoodia gordonii on the internet. Some of the claims are factual and other claims quite controversial. Let us sort out these facts and claims and find references where possible.

Let’s take a look at some of the facts. There are many species of the hoodia plant (a succulent, not a cactus) that grow wild in Southern Africa, but only one species hoodia gordonii, is believed to naturally suppress hunger and thirst. For centuries, the Bushmen or San people of Southern Africa have used the flesh of the hoodia gordonii plant to suppress hunger and thirst before embarking on long hunting expeditions. During the 60s, scientists at the South African CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research), began to study hoodia gordonii. Working together with a British company, Phytopharm, they isolated an active ingredient in hoodia gordonii – now known as P57 – which they believe is responsible for suppressing appetite and patented it. P57 was injected into the brains of laboratory rats and it was noted that it had a direct effect on the hypothalamus, which controls hunger, thirst and blood sugar levels in the body. The laboratory animals did lose weight. The hoodia gordonii plant only grows in Southern Africa (attempts to grow this wild plant in the deserts of America and Mexico were not successful), it is now a protected species and it takes 5 to 7 years for the plants to mature enough for the P57 to be extracted from them.

Now for the claims. The flesh of the hoodia gordonii plant certainly does suppress appetite as proven by the bushmen of the Kalahari Desert. But as the plant itself cannot survive export, it is the extract P57 that is used by various companies marketing hoodia gordonii as an appetite suppressant and the clinical trials (using people, not rats) are still in progress. The dosage required to produce the result needed has not yet been quantified, so how the manufacturers of various hoodia gordonii products have come to their conclusions is not known. As yet, there is no research available recommending dosage guideline. It is only because it is being sold as a supplement and not as a prescription drug that it has gotten away without having to furnish any kind of clinical study as back-up and with huge claims, the manufacturers are raking in the money.

All clinical research done on hoodia gordonii comes from Phytopharm and its partner companies, Pfizer and now Unilever. Phytopharm has an FAQ page on their website and anyone interested in the history of hoodia gordonii will find a lot of information there. You can also find a lot of information on other hoodia websites.

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Hoodia And Green Tea

Aug 23

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Today, it has become fashionable to look at quick weight loss methods and if more than one abound, then why not lump them together and maybe get double the benefits? This is no doubt the reason behind some manufacturers who sell hoodia gordonii mixed with pother herbs. The problem is, does it work? And even if it does, will it mean accelerating the weight loss or will it mean complications because of reactions and side effects.

Whatever the outcome, let’s take a look at one of the combinations that is available in the market today. It’s become very popular and it is a mix of green tea and hoodia. Now green tea has been used in China for thousands of years in order to stay healthy. It is a great digestive and it increases the metabolic rate in the human body so everything gets digested faster and better. Hoodia gordonii has also been used by the African bushmen for centuries in order to keep hunger and thirst at bay when food was scarce, especially in the desert. When both come together, it could just be a brilliant combination – or it could be a disaster, Unfortunately, many herbal and plant extracts do not immediately have visible side effects – they might surface after years, There is still not enough testing that has been done on hoodia to say that it will not react with other substances so it is a question of a bit of a gamble when two or more substances are mixed with hoodia.

However, the manufacturers of these supplements say that the people who use their brands regularly have had great success in losing weight – and losing it fast. Some of them advertise with testimonials as well. So naturally anyone who is desperate to lose a few pounds will automatically want to pick these up, feeling that being natural they must be safe. This is not really true because natural substances should be treated with caution unless they have been proven safe.

What are the benefits that hoodia and green tea promise? Hoodia promises controlling the appetite, minimizing food cravings and burning up the fat stored in the body better. Green tea promises an increase in energy, in metabolism and the ability to burn up the fat in the body. It also supplies the body with antioxidants to detoxify the body. Put the two together and it should be a winning combination – one will just have to wait and see. No bad publicity means that it’s working!

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Hoodia Gordonii And Complications

Aug 23

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If one were to believe all the companies that source and package hoodia for use as a weight loss supplement, there are no complications or side effects of using hoodia at all. However, this does not take into account the use of hoodia along with any other medication or supplements. There is still not enough research on the product to state with authority that is absolutely safe for use by itself or together with other substances. Just because the African bushmen who have had it for centuries have had no complications is no yardstick say that it is absolutely safe because the circumstances and food habits that we have in other parts of the world are so different. Add to that the fact that they had it only to keep away hunger pangs because they couldn’t get food and the fact that now we have too much of food and we want to use something that keeps temptation away and you’ll see how different the two worlds are.

The company that is doing clinical research on the extract of the plant – the British pharmaceutical Phytopharm has found no evidence of complications and it has just completed the first phase of the research. There are four more phases to go and what the initial research has thrown up is that it is safe for healthy individuals. One has to of course wait to see what qualifies as a healthy individual. They do recommend that pregnant and nursing mothers stay away from hoodia gordonii. However, one still does not know if long term use could have complications show up. Even the San bushmen used it only on a need-to basis, not as an everyday addition to their diet.

There are studies yet to be done about the possible side effects in case it is used with any prescription drugs, any OTC medication or even any vitamins, supplements and natural herbal tablets. One cannot but help remembering the Ephedra problem when used with other stimulants. It is always good to make sure of all the possible reactions before it becomes a part of recommended weight loss diets. Unfortunately, many of the hoodia supplements being sold today contain other herbal powders or extracts as well and one cannot really tell whether this is a safe thing to do or whether it can be dangerous. Caution must be followed when it is something as unknown as this, besides being used for a totally different need in a totally different environment. Sadly, when it comes to weight loss, any new entrant brings with it such hope that one tends to push the practicalities aside and only focus on the hope for loss of weight.

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Is Hoodia Safe?

Aug 23

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How can you tell of hoodia is safe or not? While there haven’t been any reported cases of problems when people have taken hoodia, it is always a risk to take any supplement without knowing what its side effects could be. There might be no known side effects whatsoever if you were taking only hoodia gordonii. But what if you were on a regimen of medication, vitamins and supplements? Who’s to say whether or not hoodia will have any reaction with any of them and how bad it could be? In the absence of any trials and certified studies, it’s a tough call.

For example, the San bushmen used to take hoodia to cure diabetes as well. However, if a person is taking modern drugs for a diabetic condition, will hoodia react with it to produce side effects? The best thing to do would be to take hoodia under a doctor’s supervision in these cases. Unfortunately, whatever clinical research is being done on hoodia is still ongoing and one does not know if this includes just research on rats or whether human trials have started as well. Only when a proper clinical study is done will there be data about drug interaction and side effects so that doctors can follow certain guidelines when prescribing.

There are other conditions too that necessitate lifelong drugs. Does this mean that hoodia just cannot be taken by these people? Till there is some research to the contrary it might be better to be safe rather than sorry and not try hoodia for any condition for which you are on prescribed medication.

It might also be safe to not combine hoodia with any other herb or natural medicine because again, one does not know what kind of interactions there can be. Considering the hoodia acts on the brain to suppress signals to the stomach so it does not know it is hungry, any kind of reaction could cause chaos in the body. This might just cause serious complications of not monitored. That is why getting advice from a doctor might be a good thing to do when so little is known of the herb clinically. Getting carried away by the promise of weight loss should not blind you to the fact that natural substances are not all absolutely safe and it pays to be a bit more aware of the dangers that lurk and skirt them if possible.

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