Unveiling the mystery of Hoodia

Ever heard of the diet pill ingredient called hoodia?

It's one of the most popular diet pill ingredients in the market today. According to Wikipedia, a hoodia is a desert plant that grows primarily in Africa and smells like a rotten meat (eewww!). For many years, it's used for treating minor infections and indigestion by the indigenous populations of Southern Africa.

Now let me give you a little trivia which I find quite interesting. Hoodia contains components that tell your brain that you don't need food. In fact, it's also been reported that this plant prevents you from thinking about food. When I first read about this, I was really amazed.



But is there truth to this fact?

Here's another interesting story I read. A few years ago, a featured correspondent named Leslie Stahl went on assignment to South Africa who hired a guide and took an excursion into the Kalahari Desert where she sampled some of the local hoodia. After trying the this wonder plant, she was not hungry or thirsty the entire day!

I'd like to believe that the story is true. After all, I haven't read anyone writing about a hoodia scam.