Mercola.com
Call Toll Free: 877-985-2695

Subscribe to The World's #1 Natural Health Website†
Hide this Hide this
Previous Article Next Article

African Plant Helps Fight Fat

Print
December 20 2007 | 38,287 views

Most Popular

1
Worse than a Disease Diagnosis - This Mistake Can Land You in the E.R.
2
The Drug Shock of the Year - FDA Approved, But Beware
3
Hardens Your Arteries - Odds Are 6 in 10 You're Consuming This Poison Ingredient Daily
4
Discover What They're Hiding in Your Organic Food
5
Kashi Cereal Stirs Anger - Exposed by Small Rhode Island Grocer

Related Links:

Hoodia, a bitter-tasting cactus-like plant that grows in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa, may soon grab a piece of the $40-billion yearly market for weight loss products in the United States.

The plant, which has been eaten by the Bushmen of the Kalahari for thousands of years, has an ability to take away appetite by making your brain think you’re full, even if you’ve only eaten a small amount.

The appetite-suppressing ingredient in hoodia has been licensed to Phytopharm, an English pharmaceutical company that is trying to produce weight-loss products using the plant.

To date, the company has spent over $20 million on research, and trials have been promising.

Obese volunteers given hoodia ate about 1,000 calories less a day than those in the control group.

According to Phytopharm, current products on the market that claim to include hoodia may contain as little as 0.1 to 0.01 percent of the active ingredient claimed, and therefore will have no effect.

The company is in the process of growing enough hoodia to meet market demands, and they plan to have meal-replacement hoodia products on supermarket shelves by 2008.
 

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

The Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert have been eating the hoodia plant for centuries (not to lose weight, but to stave off hunger pains when food was scarce). It was first researched by a South African laboratory in the 1960s as part of a study about indigenous foods.

When the plant was fed to animals, the researchers realized that they lost weight. But it was another 30 years before the active ingredient was identified and its appetite-suppressing qualities realized.

Hoodia does, in fact, seem to naturally take away your desire to eat, without any after effects. It’s thought that it mimics the effects of glucose on your brain, making you feel full.

However, I would be wary of Phytopharm’s promised hoodia meal-replacement products, as they’re likely to contain an array of artificial sweeteners and other chemicals to mask the plant’s bitter flavor.

It is also a buyer beware environment when it comes to the hoodia products already sold on the Web. Many of them contain counterfeit ingredients and fillers, so you must be sure you are buying from a quality source.

Of course, you can always decide to lose weight the “old-fashioned” way, which has nothing to do with suppressing your appetite and everything to do with eating (healthy, that is).

Some tips to normalize your weight, with side effects of increased energy and vitality, include:
  • Reducing, with the plan of eliminating, grains and sugars from your daily diet.
  • Treating the emotional issues that contributed to your weight gain by learning a valuable, effective and non-invasive tool like the Emotional Freedom Technique.
  • Starting an exercise plan today!
  • Finding out your nutritional type. Nutritional typing is a MAJOR factor in understanding which foods are right for you. My book, Take Control of Your Health, is the only book out there on helping you understand this important area of nutrition, and can be an important tool to help you reach your goal weight and achieve high-level wellness.

Post your comment
View Comments (50)
Previous Article Next Article

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using this product.

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

†The World's #1 Natural Health Website claim is based upon Alexa Natural Health Website rankings.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using this product.

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

†The World's #1 Natural Health Website claim is based upon Alexa Natural Health Website rankings.

If you want to use this article on your site please click here. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Mercola is required.

© Copyright 1997-2012 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.