Many people are aware that hoodia diet pills are derived from the Hoodia plant. This is a succulent, and there are more than 20 varieties of the hoodia plant, but our interest is focused exclusively on the Hoodia Gordonii, which alone contains the magic ingredient, a new molecule named P57 by the team that discovered its amazing qualities.

The plant is native to South Africa, particularly the desert regions of the Kalahari. The indigenous tribes were aware of the natural ability of this plant to reduce normal appetite. This was very useful to these tribesmen, who would often have to undertake hunting trips that could last for many days, until they found the game they were after. They would more often than not set off carrying no food, and so would chew on the plant to stave off their natural hunger pangs.

Although this practice of the Kalahari tribespeople was recorded by a Dutch anthropologist in the 1930s, it is only recently that the pharmaceutical companies started to take an intense interest in this appetite-suppressing plant.

They eventually concluded that anyone ingesting the P57 molecule would see a reduction by up to 2000 calories in the amount of food demanded by the body's natural appetite. In other words, the body was tricked into feeling full with a greatly reduced amount of food.

So, as non-scientists, we must accept that the case is proven. Hoodia Gordonii does indeed suppress the appetite, and, for most of us, if our appetite is reduced then we are far less likely to over-eat. If you take hoodia, you MUST continue to eat a healthy diet, drink plenty of liquids, and take regular exercise, and then you will lose weight and remain healthy.

As soon as hoodia became the next must-have product, then the market became very confused, with many unscrupulous parties jumping on the bandwagon at the prospect of quick riches. Like some other well known "life enhancing" pharmaceuticals, the Internet was soon awash with many websites offering a wide range of hoodia products.

It is often very difficult for the consumer to distinguish the genuine from the downright fraudulent product. In many cases, the product was based on a hoodia plant, but not on the Hoodia Gordonii, the only one with the magic active ingredient, so it would not suppress the appetite.

In other cases, many chemicals were added to the hoodia extract to produce a unique product, but these were not as effective, and could produce side effects. Remember that the hoodia plant is 100% natural, and so does not have any nasty side effects.

The old maxim of "Buyer Beware" applies here as in so many instances. You should only ever purchase a product based on 100% pure hodia gordonii, and anyone purporting to offer pure hoodia gordonii should carry appropriate certification. If the requisite certification is not available, you should look elsewhere.