There are some cultures indigenous to the northern areas of Namibia that still use the sap of hoodia to treat various allergenic eye conditions, as well as to treat stomach pains by boiling the hoodia pieces in water and drinking the resulting brew. Some people in the northern regions of Botswana still feed their children, who may have a tendency to overeat, pieces of hoodia to make them eat less by suppressing their appetites. For decades, some obese members of communities in the north-western regions of South Africa were eating hoodia as a ‘slimming’ aid as it was known even then to contain certain appetite suppression qualities.
In generations past, people ate the plant to help maintain a healthy body, whereas today overweight people tend to do so to try and slim down.
Hoodia succulents contain a molecule that is estimated to be up to 100,000 times more potent than glucose in sending signals to the brain indicating that the body is in a state of satiety, or in layman’s terms -not hungry.
In clinical tests on rats it was found that after giving them hoodia, they stopped eating. Subsequently, in human trials, two different groups were given identical diets and placed in isolation where there was nothing to do but sit, eat, read or watch TV. One group was given hoodia while the other was given a placebo. It was found that the hoodia group actually consumed on average 1000 calories a day less than the group taking the placebo. In effect, clinical trials have discovered that hoodia extract given to obese people actually reduced calorific intake by between 40%-50%.
Some other reputed benefits of taking hoodia gordonii are as follows:
*it is said to suppress cravings for habit-forming substances like sugar, caffeine, nicotine or alcohol.
*helps the stomach return to its normal size making it easier to control the quantity of food consumed.
*helps boost mental clarity by flushing away toxins, food additives and preservatives.
*helps you lose weight by suppressing your appetite.
*cleanses the digestive tract of accumulated waste and bacteria.
*said to help purify major organs.
*helps reduce cellulite, allergies, acne and obesity safely and naturally.
