By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    benefits of using protein powder to build muscles
    Protein Powder for Muscle Mass: Everything You Need to Know
    December 12, 2021
    changes brought on by blockchain in healthcare
    Technology In The Healthcare Industry
    March 28, 2022
    What Does Core Body Temperature Say About Health?
    August 17, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    FDA Approves Diabetes Pill
    May 2, 2011
    Patient Gets Drunk on Hand Sanitizer
    June 20, 2011
    Cultivating Health Improvement
    July 20, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Potential Weight Loss Pill Not Worth the Risk: Hoodia Gordonii
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Wellness > Potential Weight Loss Pill Not Worth the Risk: Hoodia Gordonii
Wellness

Potential Weight Loss Pill Not Worth the Risk: Hoodia Gordonii

Kurtis Frank
Last updated: September 21, 2013 8:11 am
Kurtis Frank
Share
5 Min Read
weight loss hoodia
SHARE

weight loss hoodia

Contents
Historical Use of HoodiaHoodia’s Value as an Appetite Suppressant Supplement:

weight loss hoodia

dangers of hoodiaHoodia is the common word used to refer to the plant hoodia gordonii and is a common ingredient in diet pills and weight loss treatments. The term ‘hoodia’ normally refers to the genera (hoodia) of plant that this particular species (gordonii) came from, but since this is the only known species popular in the West the term ‘Hoodia’ just sort of stuck. Physically, the plant is actually a small bush that looks like a spikey cactus.

The plant is a source of a lot of molecules known as steroidal glycosides. ‘Steroidal’ just refers to the molecular shape, somewhat similar to the ‘steroids’ in our body, estrogen and testosterone, and ‘glycoside’ means that the aforementioned steroid has a bunch of sugars attached to it.

More Read

When the Bed Bugs Bite: Pest Protection Tips for Home Care Workers and Homebound Elderly
Deploying Health IT and Patient-Centered Process Improvement for Innovation
Collaborative Care for Living Well with Chronic Disease
Boomer Voice: Forget the Mandate, Educate
Medication Management Tips

As one could expect from a weight loss product, Hoodia is actually a great herbal source of lies and misinformation, kind of like how it isn’t really a cactus (that is the cactaceae family) but with potentially dangerous implications.

Historical Use of Hoodia

Hoodia has a history of being used by its indigenous population as a famine food. Famine foods, as the name implies, are foods that are consumed during a famine; while this seems like an illogical term for many practical reasons, it just means that it isn’t a common food source.  It was good for use during a famine since it helped curb both hunger and thirst so the famine was more tolerable.

Famine foods tend to be investigated for their appetite suppressing effects though, hence why Hoodia is seen as a dietary supplement for weight loss.

In support of the above usage, we have a single study where particular steroidal glycoside (commonly known as P57) injections suppressed appetite; this was later ‘supported’ by human trials showing its usage as an appetite suppressant.

Hoodia’s Value as an Appetite Suppressant Supplement:

None, absolutely none. While I would normally end it there and give the supplement a rating of zero, I feel that a negative rating for Hoodia is required due to its potential toxicity.

The efficacy of hoodia as an appetite suppressant starts from that one rat study using injections (to specify, injections directly into the brain) and the ‘trials’ that were conducted; both ‘supported’ and ‘trials’ are in quotes since they cannot be found online and were conducted by the company that initially brought raw Hoodia Gordonii into the market as a dietary supplement.

Further rat studies demonstrated that hoodia and the active P57, while well absorbed from the intestines, do not reach the brain to suppress appetite. The other 49 or so glycosides in hoodia have not at all been investigated, and their structures are novel enough that we cannot use research on other herbs to guess what might happen.

One independent trial has been conducted (Source). Aside from the highest recommended dose of hoodia (1,110mg of a 70% steroidal glycoside extract) not suppressing appetite, it alters some biomarkers (liver enzymes, bilirubin)  suggesting liver toxicity, and quite drastically increased blood pressure in some persons: 10mmHg for both systolic and diastolic.

If we look at animal studies, hoodia gordonii can reliably induce organ damage and may kill some mice and rats. While the dose is higher than the aforementioned human dose, it is less than double the dose, and any time the toxic dose is less than double the effective dose the supplement should be seen as ‘too toxic to put on the market without a damn good reason’.

So in summary, hoodia has no independent support for its appetite suppressing effects, has potential toxicity at the active dose, has no plausible reason why it should reduce appetite following oral intake, and no other known possible usage for this supplement aside from the appetite suppressing effect

Hoodia is perhaps one of the worst supplements out there from in terms of efficacy and safety, with the only perspective liking this supplement being the profit making one.

Image Source: MeganEHansen Flickr
TAGGED:hoodiaSaturday Healthy Living Editionweight loss
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Do You Grind Your Teeth at Night? Here’s How Night Guards and TMJ Treatments Can Help
Do You Grind Your Teeth at Night? Here’s How Night Guards and TMJ Treatments Can Help
Dental health
May 21, 2025
The Secret To A Confident Smile: Top Tips For Better Teeth
The Secret To A Confident Smile: Top Tips For Better Teeth
Dental health
May 21, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025

You Might also Like

alzheimer's stress
GeriatricsSpecialtiesWellness

Stress and Alzheimer’s: Increased Risk

April 30, 2013
ObesitySpecialtiesWellness

Top 5 Reasons Why you’re Not Losing Weight on Your Diet

March 13, 2018
Wellness

Natural Mood Enhancers to Boost Your Happiness

July 7, 2017
Home HealthWellness

5 Reasons Why KETO Diet Is Effective For Weight Loss

May 11, 2018
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?