In this article I will take a close look at the science behind hoodia gordonii and the different studies that have been conducted on its appetite suppressant characteristic. Also, I will review the most prevalent theories on how hoodia is capable of suppressing your appetite.

Does there exist strong reliable evidence that hoodia gordonii works effectively as an appetite suppressant?

Certainly! Go back thousands of years and you will know that the Bushmen of South Africa have been consuming hoodia gordonii in order to combat hunger and thirst during their long hunting travels. The power of hoodia gordonii to suppress appetite is a proven fact of their daily living. There exists thousands of years of real evidence testifying the fact that eating hoodia gordonii truly suppresses your appetite.

There is also an expanding group of recognized journalists who will gladly assure you of the powers of hoodia gordonii. For example, here is a brief piece of the transcript from 60 Minutes:

To the question, "So how did it work?" Leslie Stahl(who conducted the report on CBS News 60 Minutes), answered:  "I have to say it did work."  She said she experienced no after effects, no weird taste in her mouth, no racing heart, and no upset stomach. In addition, she was not hungry all day when usually she would have hunger pangs around meal time. Leslie also stated that she had no DESIRE to eat or drink the WHOLE DAY.

Tom Mangold, a correspondent from the BBC News, reported after eating hoodia gordonii when visiting the Kalahari Desert:

"At about 1800hrs I ate about half a banana size(piece of hoodia gordonii) - and later so did my cameraman. Soon after, we began the four hour drive back to Capetown.

The plant is said to have a feel-good almost aphrodisiac quality, and I have to say, we felt good. But more significantly, we did not even think about food. Our brains really were telling us we were full. It was a magnificent deception.

Dinner time came and went. We reached our hotel at about midnight and went to bed without food. And the next day, neither of us wanted nor ate breakfast.

I ate lunch but without appetite and very little pleasure. Partial then full appetite returned slowly after 24 hours."

Have there been clinical examinations done with P-57?

Phytopharm in 2001 concluded a double-blind placebo-controlled study in overweight yet otherwise healthy volunteers utilizing the P-57extract that comes from hoodia gordonii. The volunteers were divided into two groups; one group received the P-57, and the other, a placebo.The two groups were ordered to resume their usual diet and exercise. The results of this clinical study were:

Comparing the P-57 group to the placebo group:

--The P-57 group had a numerically significant decrease in caloric intake.

--The P-57 group experienced a statistically significant reduction in body fat.

--The P-57 group experienced no side effects.

The P-57 group at average ate about 1,000 calories a day--which was less than the volunteers in the control group. These are remarkable results if you bring to mind that the average American man consumes about 2,600 calories on a daily basis, and the average American woman about 1,900.       

Please explain the science behind how hoodia gordonii helps suppress one's appetite.

What hoodia gordonii essentially does in the human body is trick the brain into thinking it's full when in fact it isn't. Your brain transmits the signal that it's full and this communication eliminates your urge to eat junk food. In reality, hoodia gordonii has proven to be more effective than glucose in informing the brain that you are full. Phytopharm's Dr. Richard Dixey explained how P-57 really works:

"There is a part of your brain, the hypothalamus. Within that mid-brain there are nerve cells that sense glucose sugar.

When you eat, blood sugar goes up because of the food, these cells start firing and now you are full. What the hoodia seems to contain is a molecule that is about 10,000 times as active as glucose. It goes to the mid-brain and actually makes those nerve cells fire as if you were full. But you have not eaten. Nor do you want to."

Today hoodia gordonii is making headlines because it really works. It's helping people everywhere prevent weight gain when they lose the desire to eat. Hoodia gives you a natural and powerful weapon to combat hunger pangs, feel full without eating, more energy, and realize optimal health.

                                                          Science of South African Hoodia Gordonii