Healthy Living Tips

No herbal weight loss series would be complete without including information on Hoodia Gordonii. This plant was discovered by the modern world back in 2004, and has since taken the world by storm. This natural weight loss herb has been featured on major talk shows, major news casts, and is talked about all over the Internet as well. Because Hoodia is a natural appetite suppressant which has no known ill side effects.

Hoodia Gordonii comes from a plant in South Africa. Many people call it a cactus but it's actually a succulent plant instead. It has been used by the bushmen of that country for hundreds of years, to help them manage hunger when they were out in the wilds for long periods of time. The Hoodia plant takes several years to grow, and is protected by the South African government. Some pharmaceutical companies are said to have started hoodia plantations, so they may start selling patented products based on the plant in a few years.

There are over 20 varieties of Hoodia plants, but Hoodia Gordonii is thought to be the only one which has the appetite supressing properties in it. Hoodia Gordonii is reported to help supress your appetite by making you feel satiated and full, while providing you with an energy boost too.

Scientific studies have shown that Hoodia contains a molecule known as P57. This molecule essentially tricks your brain into thinking you're full. When you eat food, the glucose, or sugars, from that food trigger nerve cells within your brain and this is what lets your body know when it has had enough food. The P57 molecule in Hoodia also triggers these nerve cells in your brain, thus your body thinks it is full of food even when you haven't eaten.

Several journalists have tried eating actual Hoodia plants in Africa themselves, and one even reported not having much of an appetite for almost 24 hours.

A pharmaceutical company named Phytopharm did a double blind study back in 2001 to test the effects of the P57 molecule. Half of the participants received P57 while the other half received a placebo. One of the biggest take aways from this study was that the group who took P57 ate an average of 1000 calories less each day than the placebo group did.

And so far there have been no reported bad side effects from using Hoodia either. People who have tried it specifically note there is no racing of the heart, no strange tastes in their mouths, and no queasiness or nausea.

Now, Hoodia Gordonii is not recommended as a complete food replacement. In fact, it's suggested that you use it to control snacking and binging only. Many people have problems with weight loss and hunger, because they eat foods which cause their blood sugar levels to spike quickly. This creates a cycle where your body releases a lot of insulin to deal with the large sugar spike, but as soon as that sugar is gone, the body demands more because there is now excess insulin in your system. And this is what causes people to have severe cravings for sweets and snacks, even just an hour or so after a meal. By using Hoodia, you should be able to control and drastically reduce those wild sugar level swings within your body, thus prevent yourself from snacking and binging throughout the day.

Statements made in this article may not be approved by the FDA, and should not be taken as professional medical advice

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