Hoodia gordonii
For thousands of years, African tribesmen have eaten the Hoodia cactus to stave off hunger and thirst on long hunting trips. The San, who number about 100,000, live in the region of the Kalahari Desert of southwest Africa. The hoodia, which they call Xhoba, is native to this region. Interestingly, the San, who can trace their heritage back 27,000 years based on rock paintings, are one of the world's oldest and most primitive tribes. They have known about the properties of Xhoba for thousands of years. Light green and covered in thorns, the plant grows in clumps and is roughly the same size and shape as a cucumber. For as long as the San can remember, the bitter-tasting plant has kept them from feeling hungry on long journeys when they have little other food or water.
Hoodia cacti are also native to the semi-deserts of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Angola. There are about 20 species in this family but the gordonii is the one that contains a natural appetite suppressant. The Kung bushmen who live around the Kalahari desert in southern Africa used to cut off a stem of the cactus about the size of a cucumber and munch on it over a couple of days. According to tradition, they ate together so they brought back what they caught and did not eat while hunting.
Besides alleviating hunger and thirst, Xhoba also provides a state of alertness but without the jittery feeling produced by the current Western diet remedy of ephedra stacked with caffeine. According to researchers, the hypothalamus is the organ affected because it's the location of the "nerve cells that sense glucose sugar. When you eat, blood sugar goes up because of the food, and these cells start firing so you feel full. What the Hoodia seems to contain is a molecule that is about 10,000 times as active as glucose. It goes to the hypothalamus and actually makes those nerve cells fire as if you were full. But you have not eaten. Nor do you want to.
Some elders also attribute aphrodisiac qualities to the plant. One elder told the Mail and Guardian in Johannesburg: "When the grandfathers eat the Xhoba, the grandmothers can't let them out of their sight."
How to take: Add one teaspoon of hoodia powder to a cup of boiled water and drink once a day. It is recommended that vitamins should be taken to supplement your diet. Mariandina Nutritional supplements can supply the body with much needed vitamins and minerals that it requires. It is highly recommended that you adopt a high fiber diet and do moderate exercise regularly.
