Hoodia Gordonii

About 10 years ago, while the Hollywood writers prepared the script for a film about a South American search for a medicinal plant-one capable of curing cancer-a different sort of plant was found in the desert of South Africa. It was a cactus plant, one that contained a special substance. That substance was given the name Hoodia Gordonii.

The discovery of Hoodia Gordonii coincided with the removal of Ephedra from the store shelves. Overweight consumers wanted a new type of diet pill. Studies conducted by Phytopharm showed that Hoodia Gordonii could be used to encourage weight loss.

The active ingredient in Hoodia Gordonii is a molecule called P57. For some reason, the hypothalamus gets a perplexing signal from the P57 that flows in the blood stream. The hypothalamus "thinks" that the P57 is glucose. When the hypothalamus "thinks" that it sees glucose in the bloodstream, then it sends out a signal, a signal that food is no longer needed by the body.

In the absence of that signal, the individual who has ingested the P57 has no appetite. That individual has no desire to eat. The P57 in the Hoodia Gordonii acts like an appetite suppressant.

Scientists are learning more about why a person would choose to stop eating. The tendency to stop eating is called satiety, and it demonstrates a feeling of satisfaction. Scientists believe that every person has a unique point at which he or she becomes full, or satisfied. They call that point the set-point.

Scientists have learned that physical activity can lower the set point. It can cause someone to feel "full" after only a limited amount of eating. Physical activity is, therefore, recommended for anyone who is on a diet. It is also recommended for the users of Hoodia Gordonii.