Update 8/1/20. If you have spent anytime online, you have probably seen ads for the Hoodia Patch, which is a weight loss product based on hoodia Gordonii. As far as I can determine, the idea for using the Hoodia Patch to lose weight stems from a common marketing tactic that has been used to promote several supplements over the years. This is the notion that “our product works faster”. The idea is that if you could deliver hoodia through the skin, that it would work faster than if you took it in a supplement. But, working faster does not necessarily mean that the product works better. Let me know give you a quick review of the Hoodia Weight Loss Patch and hoodia itself, show you the proof for hoodia Gordonii and that way, you can decide if this product is right for you.
Hoodia Gordonii and Weight Loss
In a nutshell, this is the logic behind hoodia diet pills. For centuries, the inhabitants of the Kalahari Desert, where hoodia grows, have said that eating the plant helps curb appetite as they trek across the desert searching for food. Upon hearing this, entrepreneurs thought that since it curbs appetite, that it may help people lose weight.
Here is the problem. Weight loss and curbing appetite are not the same thing. The people who were chewing on hoodia were not overweight. They basically were skinny people who moved all day long and never knew where their next meal was coming from. They didn't have a problem losing weight. Compare that to people in industrialized countries who have plenty of food and don't exercise very much.
Remember we eat for many reasons. Just a few include sadness, depression, peer pressure and boredom. People must remember this if they try hoodia.
Also, the people ate Hoodia Gordonii. They did not use hoodia pills. Hoodia pills may be lacking key ingredients (from processing) that might reduce or stop the effects of pure hoodia Gordonii.
As for the Hoodia Diet Patch, did the people running around the desert put a patch on their arms? Heck no! They ate the roots (and stems) of hoodia Gordonii itself. The fact is that there is no published, peer-reviewed study on the Hoodia Weight Loss Patch.
See this review on hoodia too.
Does Hoodia Work?
Right now the only company that is studying hoodia (not the Hoodia Patch) is the British pharmaceutical company, Phytopharm (stock symbol PYM) . They have performed a couple of unpublished studies on hoodia which show that under laboratory conditions (not real-life conditions) that it may curb appetite and foster weight loss.
The active ingredient in hoodia is said to be a compound called P 57. This is the compound that is supposed to cause you to eat less. Another study found that when P57 was injected rat brains, the rats ate less food. I don't think that's what you will be doing anytime soon…
Hoodia trivia. The ingredient P57 is short for its actual name, “P57AS3”
Phytopharm has not published any studies on hoodia pills. I have been looking for good weight loss research on hoodia for several years and have yet to find any. Here is a short review on hoodia that basically says the same thing.
Phytopharm has been studying hoodia for several years. Why haven't they published any research? I know research takes time but they have already completed 2 studies (that they have not published). Not publishing a study makes it hard for others to see what they did. According to Phytopharm's website they do plan on publishing research in 2010.
There are several hoodia species. Hoodia gordonii is the only species that is being studied as far. What species of hoodia is in the Hoodia Patch? Other species include hoodia rosea, hoodia parviflora and hoodia officinale.
Is the hoodia patch safe? Well, even though I am skeptical, I don't think the Hoodia Patch going to hurt anyone. If you are going to try the Hoodia Patch, here are some questions to ask:
- Is there any proof that hoodia (or P57) penetrates the epidermis of the skin?
- Has the Hoodia Patch been proven (in clinical studies) to curb appetite in people?
- Has the Hoodia Patch been proven (in clinical studies) to cause weight loss in people?
As far as I can discover the answer to all 3 of these questions is either no or we don't know but I am very interested to hear what others have to say about this.
What do you think?