Hoodia is one of the most hyped diet pills on the market. But do hoodia weight loss supplements live up to the hype?

The origins of the hoodia hype go back a long way. The San Bushmen of the Kalahari have been eating the prickly Hoodia gordonii succulent for thousands of years to help ward off hunger while hunting. While scientists were studying the cactus-like African plant, they isolated an unknown molecule, later dubbed P57, which appeared to suppress appetite.

The discovery of P57 lead to years of scientific research into hoodia’s potential as a miracle weight loss pill. But after years of research, there is little evidence to support that hoodia actually works and even less evidence that shows hoodia is safe.

One weight loss study funded by Phytopharm, a British pharmaceutical company, suggests that people ate as much as 1000 calories less per day while taking large doses of hoodia extract. Despite those promising results, Phytopharm doesn’t have a hoodia product on the market because they still have years of clinical trials ahead of them to show that hoodia is safe.

Many of the hoodia weight loss pills that are on the market don’t even contain hoodia, and those that do, contain very little of the active substance. The hoodia plant is hard to come by.  Hoodia gordonii only grows in extremely hot climates and takes five years to mature. To get around this, many hoodia manufacturers grind up the whole hoodia plant, despite the fact that the San Bushman peel back the spiky skin and only eat the meaty interior where the active substance is located.

Despite all of inconclusive scientific research and shady manufacturing practices, hoodia is still surrounded by plenty of hype, fueled in large part by the media. Journalists from 60 Minutes and the BBC went to South Africa to try hoodia for themselves, straight out of the plant. They reported decreased appetite for about a day and no side effects.

The journalists were guaranteed a pure product. But what about the average consumer who doesn’t go to Africa to try hoodia? There is no guarantee. And the long term side effects of hoodia are even more uncertain, since little can be ascertained from a one-day trial by the media.

If you give into the media hype and want to purchase hoodia, be sure to buy it only from a reputable manufacturer. A couple things to keep in mind:

• 100% pure means they grind the whole hoodia plant into a powder and put it in a bottle. This is the cheapest hoodia supplement to manufacture and contains parts of the plant that may not actively suppress appetite.

• 20:1 extract means 1 gram of the hoodia extract was made from 20 grams of whole hoodia plant. Theoretically, hoodia extract should contain more active hoodia appetite suppressant than a 100% pure whole plant product.

Several popular brand name diet pills, such as Trimspa, contain hoodia as one of the ingredients. A one-month supply of hoodia diet pills can be found on the internet for $20 - $90. (Check current hoodia prices at Amazon.) Hope hoodia lives up to the hype.