Hoodia gordonii is a well-known appetite suppressant and has received its fair share of media attention. The demand for hoodia plants, hoodia extract products and the hoodia cactus seed is increasing each day. You can even find these on the e-bay. If you are looking to purchase seeds, you will find the following information to be helpful.

Hoodia gordonii is just one of the 15 different varieties of hoodia, which itself represents a group of succulent plants found in southern Africa. If you are into horticulture or botany and you are buying hoodia seeds to add an interesting plant to your collection, you must be in the know that these plants are very difficult to grow and only a skillful horticulturist may be able to successfully grow a hoodia cactus.

The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has banned the collection of cactus seeds from wild hoodia plants in Africa. Doing so is considered illegal in most countries. Special permits are required for growing and trading hoodia and hoodia seeds. For those who are keen on growing their own plant, read the following for useful info.

Hoodia cuttings almost never take root and it is recommended to grow hoodia gordonii from the seeds. These seeds should be germinated in a seed tray and it takes about a year or so before they can be transferred to a small pot. It will take another 3 or 4 years for your hoodia saplings to bloom. The hoodia plant, when in full bloom, smells like rotten meat and the smell by itself is enough to suppress anyone's appetite!

But on a serious note, it is this smell that attracts flies to the plant and help pollinate it. After pollination, your hoodia plant will form seedpods that look like small antelope horns. This is why the hoodia plant has been named bokhorrings in Afrikaans. Hoodia plants thrive in high temperatures and, if you own a green house, you can harvest the hoodia seeds in about four years and reap the benefits of your harvest on e-bay!