by SA Professional

Created on: July 28, 2009

Hoodia Gordonii For Appetite Control

Hoodia Gordonii is a spiny leafless plant that is found locally in the sub Saharan areas of South Africa and in its neighbour, Namibia. This fascinating succulent is pollinated by flies as the beautiful pink blooms perfume the air with the scent of rotting meat, a peculiar adaptation in a region where few blooming plants would attract bees.

Hoodia Gordonii is not, thankfully, sought out for its scent, but for the medicinal properties found within the flesh of the plant itself. The indigenous Bushmen first used the plant to treat minor infectious wounds and also indigestion. Most notably it was used as an appetite suppressant for use on long hunting trips. For thousands of years this tribe used the plant to keep hunger at bay as they traversed the sand of the Kalahari Desert.

The South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research isolated the unique ingredient in Hoodia Gordonii, known as P57 and patented it in 1996. They then granted licenses for the manufacture of the product containing the unique ingredient to two prominent pharmaceutical companies, namely Pfizer and Phytopharm.

The plant itself is an endangered species and growers require a special license to grow and harvest it. A ring sized to 40 centimetres is placed over the plant and it is not allowed to be harvested before it reaches this minimum size. Harvesting means that only 20% of the plant is allowed to be taken at any one time and a Hoodia Gordonii farm has to have a minimum of 2500 plants before harvesting is permitted.

It has fast become known as a natural appetite suppressant with no negative side effects or stimulant qualities and is now a popular method of appetite control in those wanting to lose weight. Conveniently packaged and available to the public in capsule form in can be used as part of a calorie controlled diet to assist in shedding unwanted excess weight.

As nature's natural appetite suppressant, with proven results in laboratory testing it is definitely the safest and most logical choice. On average, those taking Hoodia Gordonii have reduced their calorie intake by up to 2000 calories a day, on average consuming between 900 to 1100 calories. If you are one to read the labels on the products that you purchase at your local grocery store you'll realize that this sort of calorie reduction is guaranteed to have results.

Due to high sugar and fat content in most processed foods, it's easy to consume your entire daily caloric requirement by eating a single chocolate bar or a slice of cake. Hoodia Gordonii simply suppresses your appetite, eliminating cravings for unhealthy treats and making it that much easier to manage a healthy diet that will contribute to weight loss in a responsible manner.

Intermittent snacking is reduced to a minimum and instead of consuming empty calories it is far easier to stick to a well-formulated diet plan that includes beneficial fruits and vegetables, dairy and meat products. Most people will tell you that the hardest part of being on a diet is having to cut out their favourite sweet treats, but thanks to Hoodia Gordonii, that is no longer a difficult task.

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