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Losing Weight with Hoodia gordonii
Quite possibly the hardest part about dieting is suppressing your appetite. Whenever your stomach's rumbling, it's not too easy to just ignore it and go about your business. However, some new products and ingredients over the years have been discovered, and together they form a group of medicines called anorectics. One such ingredient for many new anorectics comes from the species of plant called Hoodia gordonii. By suppressing your appetite, this plant works to help you lose weight more easily.
Effectiveness
Hoodia gordonii appears to be so effective at curbing your appetite that both the BBC and CBS aired specials on its anorectic properties in 2003. The Sans Bushmen have used its anorectic properties for literally thousands of years. Such celebrities as Anna Nicole Smith have championed its cause, and the company Phytopharm published a report that stated that humans that took medicine made from Hoodia gordonii consumed about 1000 calories less a day than users of a placebo.
Despite such public enthusiasm, no concrete scientific evidence exists yet to prove the effectiveness of Hoodia gordonii, the reason being that the ingredient has only been used in medicine for a few years while other medicines can be researched for decades before the medical field agrees on their effectiveness. Part of this particular drug's anorectic capabilities may be a direct result of the rather vigorous media conditioning that it has received.
Safety Concerns
Being the active ingredient in only new drugs, Hoodia gordonii may have many unforeseen side effects that simply have not had time to surface yet. In a few decades or even years, such side effects that commonly occur in other anorectics may begin to appear in users of Hoodia drugs. The most common side effect may very well turn out to be dehydration as a result of carelessness on the user's part as the suppressed appetite will most likely prevent a user from feeling thirsty. Of course, a responsible user can plan a schedule out or create another safety check to make sure they drink enough liquids. Also common is the risk of anorexia if a user abuses the drug by intaking too much.
Hoodia gordonii drugs often run at about $250 for every kilogram, or just a little over $100 for every pound. However, the plant itself is endangered and thus it's illegal to ship outside of Africa, its native continent. Therefore, companies have developed synthetic ingredients, and the safety concerns with those products will likely be ironed out in the coming years. While apparently safe, it's still wise to only use these products in moderation. However with careful use, Hoodia gordonii may prove to be one large step to creating the solution to overeating and eventually obesity.
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