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| African Hoodia Plant Side Effects |
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The hoodia plant is a genus consisting of thirteen flowering succulent plants that are often referred to as "cactiform" due to the fact that they someone resembles cacti, although the two families are not actually related.
The hoodia plant is part of the family Apocynaceae (which includes many tropical and rainforest flowering plants such as periwinkle) and the subfamily Asclepiadoideae. Hoodia can grow up to approximately one yard in height and have remarkably large flowers that are often flesh-colored with a noticeably strong fragrance. Many types of African hoodia are protected plants, although some are cultivated in gardens. |
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About Hoodia Gordonii
There is one variety, hoodia gordonii, which is currently being studied for use as a possible appetite suppressant and thus an effective dieting tool. Whenever any companies that sell dieting pills or other products refer to hoodia, they specifically mean the hoodia gordonii plant. The compound in the plant that is believed to assist with appetite suppression is now known as P57.
Currently, there are many people who are asking the question "Does hoodia work?" after they have seen it advertised as part of a form of weight loss pill. Although the diet pill companies would have you believe otherwise, the real answer at the present time is that no one actually knows. Hoodia is still being tested by the FDA and no significant studies have been performed as of yet that reveal either the effectiveness or side effects of hoodia. Though this may change in the future, there is no evidence that the hoodia supplements currently available work, or even that the hoodia supplements that you purchase even contain the potentially helpful P57. Indeed, there have been a large number of fraud complaints made by unhappy users. The well-known company TrimSpa, part of the Goen Technologies Corporation, is currently facing several lawsuits claiming that they have misled their customers and that their product, X32, does not actually contain any P57. In addition, there is concern that many of the websites that contain positive reviews of the effectiveness of hoodia in dieting are simply misleading marketing ploys and do not reflect the actual results of consumers.
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