Hoodia plant is an African plant which is becoming increasingly proper as a weight loss product around the world. Hoodia is a type of cactus. In Africa this plant is also known as Xshoba or xhooba. Hoodia was used by the xSan Bushmen to treat indigestion, minor skin infections and as an appetite and thirst suppressant during long hunts. Hoodia plant resembles a cactus which is seen growing wild in the Kalahari Desert. Biologically the African hoodia cactus is christened ‘hoodia gordonii’. Interestingly Hoodia is a kind of a succulent, so the names hoodia cactus and South African desert cactus are actually misnomers, however people use them because everyone does it. The African hoodia cactus has pale purple flowers. The flowers appear after the Hoodia plant is fully grown.

Phytopharm a leading organization of the United Kingdom has done research related to properties of the African hoodia cactus and to determine the effects and potential of hoodia weight loss. Phytopharm had established plantations in South Africa. Attempts of commercial cultivation of the African hoodia cactus for development of hoodia weight loss products have had some bottlenecks. The major problem surprisingly is temperature. The African hoodia cactus requires the desert like temperatures in order to develop a good quality Hoodia weight loss product. If that was not enough the hoodia cactus matures in four to five years in order to give out a good hoodia weight less product.

Xshoba cactus plants have become extremely limited and hoodia weight loss products are declared as an exquisite product by many governments in African nations. A number of food supplement companies have also started marketing products which contain the plant in powdered or concentrated form. Most commonly the African hoodia cactus products are being sold to dieters as appetite suppressants.

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