Almost everyone has heard about the miracle herb which is supposed to choke off hunger. But how much of this has been corroborated scientifically? It sounds too good to be true that one can lose weight without feeling hunger pangs. There has been only one scientific study of pure hoodia. That involved a small number of volunteers and all of them were obese. There is no way of knowing whether hoodia will work on the marginally overweight who need to lose just a few kilos. The human body adapts to conditions very fast and weight loss may taper fast.
Scientific facts on hoodia are sparse. While it may work for some, the rest of the population may not benefit from it. Recognized drugs work on all in more or less identical ways on everyone. Then comes the paramount question of safety. The African tribesmen are known to chew hoodia but that alone is insufficient proof to declare it safe. With no proper field trials, it is premature to label it as safe for the world’s population.
Some herbal medicines which have been around for centuries and its effects have been documented. With hoodia, its use has been limited to a small part of South Africa. There also the San people consume it in short bursts. No one knows how safe it is for pregnant women.
An individual seeking some answers to some of these questions used it as an appetite suppressant for several months and it only increased the disquiet within him. He discovered that there was some loss of appetite, but common sense rang alarm bells in him. He found that the dosage required to produce significant loss of appetite was far higher than the recommended dosage. He had to take 1000 mg of hoodia whereas the dosage mentioned on the website was 100mg! As a result, the cost went up dramatically.
Hoodia did not compensate for the sharp fall in blood sugar following the consumption of carbohydrates like white rice, cookies, soft drinks and white bread. He found that on such occasions there was no lowering of appetite. On days when consumption of carbohydrates was kept low, hoodia seemed to work in lowering appetite. By itself, lowering carbohydrates helps to keep appetite and weight in check.
Hoodia did not reduce the acute hunger that one feels after a strenuous work out. The person was ravenously hungry within minutes of the work out. Everyone is advised some vigorous exercise and if hoodia does not work in these cases, it is because it is in no way a miracle pill. The effect of hoodia in reducing weight was felt only when he controlled what he ate. Hoodia made no difference when he ate what he liked.