Hoodia Gordonii is a cactus found in the Kalahari desert in southern Africa and is now hailed as the wonder slimming supplement as it is an appetite suppressant. It appears that the plant has been used by the indigenous Bushmen to increase energy and suppress hunger during hunting trips into the desert.

Discovered by south African scientists the  active constituent in Hoodia Gordonii is believed to act on the hypothalamus, the mid brain, which has the nerve cells sensitive to glucose. When we eat, the blood sugar increases and these cells sense when we are “full”. Hoodia’s molecule is believed to be around 10,000 times as effective as glucose. This then signals to the mid brain that you are full, even when you haven’t eaten. This natural remedy is now offered as a slimming pill and the claims are that it helps to achieve weight loss without starvation diets.

Reading between the lines, however, it is clear that it is not a miracle slimming aid – our brains are cannier than we are, and the clinical trials suggest there is SOME effect, but not a huge one. It is based on the idea that “if you don’t feel hungry you will eat less” – but food addicts rarely eat because they are hungry anyway. I am tempted to try them to rid myself of the half stone I seem to have accumulated over the last few years. I’ll let you know if it works !