Hoodia, the phenomenon sweeping America and much of the rest of the modern world, works in a startling way. The product works by tricking the brain into thinking that you've already eaten and therefore already have enough energy (blood sugar) and therefore the body doesn't require additional nutrition. For this reason, the brain proceeds to shut down the hunger mechanism in the body, leaving those who take hoodia to be able to conquer their appetite since they don't feel hungry. This, in turn, allows those who take hoodia to be able to better control their eating habits in terms of portions and number of daily meals, leading to much lower calorie intake and, therefore, weight loss.

Hoodia has been used for thousands of years by the Bushmen of southern Africa. It was used primarily to ward off hunger during times when food was scarce, such as when they had to journey through the desert. Although there are 20 types of hoodia, only one, hoodia gordonii, has been shown to carry the active ingredient P57 which works as a hunger suppressant. Other variations of hoodia do not appear to work in suppressing appetite.

Hoodia is generally consumed in one of two ways, pill and liquid forms, and is generally taken an hour before meals. It is important to drink plenty of water when taking hoodia since hoodia shuts off the thirst mechanism in addition to the hunger mechanism. It is only too easy to become dehydrated if you don't ensure you are drinking plenty of water even though you won't feel thirsty when taking hoodia. Hoodia usually takes about 1 to 2 weeks to work in full force, however most report that they notice appetite suppressing effects within the first half hour of taking hoodia.

There are certain situations that appear to override the effects of hoodia, however. Namely, those with active workout habits, especially those who train with weights frequently, will still notice high appetite levels. Muscles need calories to be maintained and those muscles still call out for nutrition whether you are taking hoodia or not. In addition, it appears as if hoodia works best with low carb diets. Although details are sparse, there does appear to be much evidence that shows that hoodia does not curb appetite on nearly the same level when too many carbohydrates are still being consumed in the diet.