Hoodia
OTHER NAME(S): Cactus, Cactus Hoodia, Cactus du Kalahari, Extrait de Hoodia, Hoodia Gordonii Cactus, Hoodia P57, Kalahari Cactus, Kalahari Diet, P57, Xhoba, Hoodia gordonii, Hoodia Cactus
Overview
Hoodia is a cactus-type plant from the Kalahari Desert in Africa.
People use hoodia to curb their appetite so they can lose weight. According to some claims, San bushmen in Africa eat hoodia to fight off hunger during long hunts.
Be careful when buying hoodia products. According to news reports, some samples of hoodia sold on the Internet do not contain any hoodia at all. You might not get what's listed on the label. Also, a certain hoodia product (P57 Hoodia, Huikng Pharmaceuticals) has been shown to contain sibutramine. Sibutramine is a substance removed from the US market in 2010 due to its potential to increase blood pressure and heart rate.
One chemical in hoodia called P57 is thought to decrease feelings of hunger. But it's not clear how P57 causes this effect. Another chemical in hoodia called gordonoside F is thought to decrease feelings of hunger by increasing the production of insulin.
One chemical in hoodia called P57 is thought to decrease feelings of hunger. But it's not clear how P57 causes this effect. Another chemical in hoodia called gordonoside F is thought to decrease feelings of hunger by increasing the production of insulin.
Uses
Insufficient Evidence for
- Weight loss. Drinking a raspberry-flavored yogurt drink containing hoodia extract for 15 days does not seem to reduce food intake or increase weight loss in overweight women.
More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of hoodia for this use.
Precautions
There isn't enough information to know if hoodia is safe. There is some evidence that hoodia might cause minor side effects such as headache, dizziness, giddiness, nausea, and unusual skin sensations. Also, there is concern that hoodia might increase blood pressure and heart rate.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of hoodia during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
Diabetes: Hoodia might lower blood sugar by increasing the production of insulin. Watch for signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and monitor your blood sugar carefully if you are being treated for diabetes and use hoodia.
High blood pressure: Hoodia might increase blood pressure. This might cause blood pressure to become too high in people already at risk for high blood pressure.
Interactions
Moderate Interaction
Be cautious with this combination
- Insulin interacts with HoodiaHoodia might lower blood sugar by increasing the production of insulin. Taking hoodia along with insulin might cause your blood sugar to be too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your insulin might need to be changed.
- Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs) interacts with HoodiaHoodia might lower blood sugar by increasing the production of insulin. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking hoodia along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed. Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.
- Medications for high blood pressure (Antihypertensive drugs) interacts with HoodiaHoodia might increase blood pressure in some people. Taking hoodia along with blood pressure-lowering medications might decrease the effects of the medications and cause your blood pressure to go too high. Some medications for high blood pressure include captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), losartan (Cozaar), valsartan (Diovan), diltiazem (Cardizem), Amlodipine (Norvasc), hydrochlorothiazide (HydroDIURIL), furosemide (Lasix), and many others.
- Medications for high blood pressure (Beta-blockers) interacts with HoodiaHoodia might increase blood pressure. Beta-blockers are a type of medicine used to lower blood pressure. Taking hoodia along with beta-blockers might decrease the effects of the beta-blockers and cause your blood pressure to go too high. Some beta-blockers include atenolol (Tenormin), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL), nadolol (Corgard), propranolol (Inderal), and others.
Dosing
The appropriate dose of hoodia depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for hoodia. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
References
- Mangold T. Sampling the Kalahari cactus diet. BBC News; May 30, 2003. Available at: https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/correspondent/2947810.stm.
- Pfizer returns rights of P57. Phytopharm Press Release; July 30, 2003.
- Phytopharm plc successful completion of proof of principle clinical study of P57 for Obesity. Phytopharm Press Release; December 5, 2001.
- Anon. Protecting traditional knowledge: the San and hoodia. Bull World Health Organ 2006;84:345.
- Blom WAM, Abrahamse SL, Bradford R, et al. Effects of 15-d repeated consumption of Hoodia gordonii purified extract on safety, ad libitum energy intake, and body weight in healthy, overweight women: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr 2011;94(5):1171-81.
- MacLean, D. B. and Luo, L. G. Increased ATP content/production in the hypothalamus may be a signal for energy-sensing of satiety: studies of the anorectic mechanism of a plant steroidal glycoside. Brain Res 9-10-2004;1020(1-2):1-11.
- Citó MCO, Silva MIG, Santos LKX, et al. Antidepressant-like effect of Hoodia gordonii in a forced swimming test in mice: evidence for involvement of the monoaminergic system. Braz J Med Biol Res. 2015;48(1):57-64.
- Roza O, Lovász N, Zupkó I, Hohmann J, Csupor D. Sympathomimetic activity of a Hoodia gordonii product: a possible mechanism of cardiovascular side effects. Biomed Res Int. 2013;2013:171059.
- Dent MP, Wolterbeek APM, Russell PJ, Bradford R. Safety profile of Hoodia gordonii extract: mouse prenatal developmental toxicity study. Food Chem Toxicol. 2012;50 Suppl 1:S20-5.
- Dent MP, Wolterbeek APM, Russell PJ, Bradford R. Safety profile of Hoodia gordonii extract: rabbit prenatal developmental toxicity study. Food Chem Toxicol. 2012;50 Suppl 1:S26-33.
- Scott AD, Orsi A, Ward C, Bradford R. Genotoxicity testing of a Hoodia gordonii extract. Food Chem Toxicol. 2012;50 Suppl 1:S34-40.
- Zhang S, Ma Y, Li J, et al. Molecular matchmaking between the popular weight-loss herb Hoodia gordonii and GPR119, a potential drug target for metabolic disorder. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014;111(40):14571-6.
- Stafford L. Phytopharm Returns Hoodia Gordonii Rights to South African R&D Company. HerbalEGram: Volume 8, Number 3, March 2011. Available at: https://cms.herbalgram.org/heg/volume8/03March/PhytopharmHoodiaTransfer.html?ts=1462301010&signature=716cdaf3800bde68aa9c14eda009a074.