Profile
- Latin name: Hoodia Gordonii Nopal OpuntaBeta-Glucani
- CAS No.: 938077-10-2
- Active Ingredient: 100% Hoodia Gordonii Cactus Extract
- Specifications: 20: 1
Description
Hoodia is a succulent plant found in the Kalahari desert of South Africa. The genus includes a variety of plant varieties of which Hoodia Gordonii is a species.
Hoodia plants are succulent, not Cactus, although they have a thorny appearance similar to the latter.
For many centuries the Bushmen tribe of the Kalahari desert have used Hoodia painte as food. Hoodia Gordonii has been used less because of its persistent, unpleasant, bitter taste.
Given the food use of Hoodia plants, some species have been included in the scientific research project established by the South African Legal Council known as CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) for the screening of a large number of edible plants.
During the screening process, plant extracts were created and any toxic effects were subsequently tested. Surprisingly, Hoodia extracts were observed to cause a decrease in appetite and body weight in animals, which appears not to be due to a toxic effect of the extract.