A Guide To Hoodia Gordonii Side Effects

Hoodia is a plant mainly grown in African countries, and it has gained popularity as appetite suppressant in last few years. The bitter tasting plant grows in Kalahari Desert, and looks like cactus. The flowers are purple in color and they take almost five years to appear.

There are more than 20 species of this family, but Gordonii that looks like cactus contains natural appetite suppressants. Hoodia gordonii plant was first discovered in the semi-deserts of Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa.

Hoodia Gordonii Side Effects

Although, marketers of hoodia claim that there are no side-effects associated with it, but there is a lack of evidence to support this claim, as most of the tests have been done on rats. Marketers of Hoodia claim that San Bushmen from Kalahari Desert have been using hoodia for thousands of years to curb their hunger and thirst while out on the hunting trips for several days. But, Hoodia is quite new in other countries, and it has not been subjected to any kind of safety testing that could uncover any possible hoodia gordonii side effects.

Hoodia researcher with Pfizer, Jasjit Bindra commented that though hoodia actually suppressed the appetite, but there are also indications that it affects the liver due to presence of some component other than p57, and this component cannot be easily removed during the processing.

Hoodia gordonii side effects could also be caused due to its interference with other medications a person might be taking. It is important that people with diabetes should carefully consider all the hoodia gordonii side effects as it is believed that hoodia works by tricking the brain into thinking that there is enough sugar in the blood. As the message is manipulated, it is possible that the blood sugar might drop to dangerously low levels while taking hoodia.

It is believed that hoodia not only suppresses the hunger, but thirst as well. There have been reports that African shepherds who consumed hoodia to curb their hunger later died of dehydration, as they did not feel thirsty, and body was deprived of water. Most diet-experts recommend consumption of at least 8 glasses of water.

To safeguard against various hoodia gordonii side effects, it is advisable that pregnant or nursing women, people with kidney or liver diseases, and children should avoid hoodia.

Testimonials, customer comments and product reviews contain no reference to hoodia gordonii side effects. All the negative comments that have been published indicate that hoodia works for some people, but not for all.