Hoodia gordonii is one of thirteen species of a flowering plant found in the Namib Desert, which ranges from Namibia to southern Angola in southwest Africa. It is valued for its effect as an appetite suppressant, so much so that it is listed as an endangered species due to over collecting.
Green tea is believed to accelerate the metabolic process, such that fat is burned more efficiently and at an elevated rate. There are many products on the market today that are green tea supplements which include hoodia. Like too many diet and health fads, there is a good deal of hucksterism associated with hoodia.
The fact that the plant has been over harvested in its native habitat has resulted in its listing with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES. Importation of products on this list is controlled by U.S. Customs and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The plants must have been lawfully harvested, purchased and shipped – which means that companies producing hoodia products must have a license to import it.
Consumers of hoodia products should look for some evidence on the product label of USDA approval as well as evidence that the product has been tested for the actual presence of hoodia’s active ingredient. A botanical and natural product testing house called Alkemists Pharmaceuticals conducted an ongoing test process for the hundreds of hoodia products on the market and found that at least half contained no hoodia. Today they are providing authentication for legitimate hoodia products, so their seal of approval should be on the supplement bottle as well.
With that background, green tea supplements containing hoodia may be a good option for a dieting supplement. While there is no scientific evidence of hoodia’s appetite suppressant qualities, it has been used for medicinal purposes in Africa for centuries. Green tea contributes to an accelerated metabolic rate so that your body oxidizes fat faster and more efficiently. When combined with an appetite suppressant, you have one of the three principal components of a quality weight loss program.
A low fat, low calorie or low carbohydrate diet combined with moderate exercise and enhanced with a green tea dietary supplement containing hoodia should lead to a consistent and fairly rapid weight loss. The only thing that green tea and hoodia can’t provide is the discipline to maintain the other two legs of a three-legged diet program.