Hoodia (pronounced HOO-dee-ah) is a type of succulent plant (not a cactus as claimed by many, even though there is a remarkable resemblance to cacti) that grows in the Kalahari desert in Africa, in Namibia and in Botswana. In fact, there are 13 different variants of this plant, but the only one that is of interest to us is the Hoodia Gordonii: It encloses an appetite suppressing quality that can be used for promoting weight loss.

For thousands of years, the local San bushmen of the Kalahari desert have been using Pure Hoodia Gordonii to suppress appetite during hunting trips in the depth of the desert, and during periods in which food and water were harder to come by.

Since the western world have become familiar with it, the Hoodia gordonii has become an instant hit, and has attracted interest  and media cover from most large television networks, such as the BBC, CBS, ABC and others. BBC correspondent Tom Mangold, and CBS’s 60 Minutes correspondent Leslie Stahl both did documentaries on the Hoodia Gordonii plant, travelling to the African deserts, and trying Pure Hoodia first hand. Both reported the loss of desire to eat or drink for an entire day.