Hoodia Gordonii is a flowering, cactus-like plant native to the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. It is also known as hoodia, Kalahari cactus, Xhoba, hoodia cactus, South African desert cactus. Recently, hoodia has become immensely popular and is heavily marketed for weight loss. This article gives few medicinal uses and dangers of hoodia gordonii.
Here are Few Uses of Hoodia Gordonii:
- Kalahari Bushmen have traditionally eaten hoodia stems to reduce their hunger and thirst during long hunts.
- It is a nutritious food that is extremely effective at reducing the appetite. Today, hoodia is marketed as an appetite suppressant for weight loss.
- Hoodia is traditionally used in Africa to treat a variety of other disorders, including hypertension, abdominal cramps, hemorrhoids, tuberculosis and indigestion.
- Researchers have discovered that hoodia gordonii contains a molecule that is many times more effective than glucose at decreasing hunger pangs. Many pharmaceutical companies are presently attempting to produce synthetic forms of hoodia for use as a prescription weight loss drug.
Here are Few Dangers of Hoodia Gordonii:
- Marketers claim that hoodia has no side effects because it has been used for thousands of years by deserters of Africa. But according to Jasjit S. Bindra, a researcher for hoodia at Pfizer there were indications of unwanted effects on the liver caused by components of hoodia.
- People with diabetes should be cautious about using hoodia as the person’s blood sugar could drop dangerously low while taking hoodia. And with the regular hunger mechanism turned off, the normal warning signs may be suppressed, until it’s too late.
- Hoodia is believed to suppress not only appetite but thirst. There have been unconfirmed reports of shepherds in Africa who took hoodia to take the edge off hunger pains, but died of dehydration because they didn’t feel thirsty.
- Pregnant or nursing women, children, or people with liver or kidney disease should avoid hoodia.
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