What is Hoodia ? I’ve been interested in this fat-burning cactus recently, finding it often added as an ingredient to other supplements that promise to shed extra pounds. In reality, Hoodia Gordonii is a type of cactus (indeed, it is actually a plant similar but not the same as cacti) whose shrub, the leathery part of the plant, seems to be a powerful hunger blocker. It is used by South Africans as a way to endure long periods of fasting without suffering from hunger cramps. Hence the idea of ​​using it as a hunger blocker also in dietary supplements, being natural and therefore at least in theory without side effects compared to more chemical things. In reality this is not the case.
The online advertisements I find of this productunderline precisely the natural anorectic effect of Hoodia : imagine how much less you would eat if you did not have the stimulus of hunger at all. Aside from the fact that as I often say, I wouldn’t wish anyone not to be hungry anymore, Hoodia doesn’t quite quench hunger, but it makes sure you don’t overeat. In practice, it does not work as an adjunct to weight loss diets, but it could work for those who have the problem of overeating, over two thousand calories per meal, and suffer from obesity. In practice, you would have to eat a diet of at least five thousand calories to get the benefits from Hoodia, which instead would not serve a damn if you eat two thousand calories a day and want to lose weight overall.
The active ingredient in Hoodia that blocks appetite is called P57: in the packaging of supplements on the market, it is not clear how much hoodia extract there is or how much it takes just to work after a large meal.
In short: it seems to me totally useless as a hunger breaker or supplement to lose weight, unless, in fact, you eat appetizer, first course, second course, side dish, fruit and dessert for a total of over two thousand calories!