A plant which resembles cactus known as Hoodia Gordonii is grown in the deserts of South Africa. The plant Hoodia Gordonii looks like a cactus but it does not belong to the cactus family. It is being seen as a new discovery as an herbal supplement which can help you lose weight as the plant has the capacity to suppress hunger.

But when did it all begin? Why are we just hearing about the Hoodia Gordonii cactus now? The answer to these questions lies in the fact that there is still little known about this rare and hard to produce plant.

An anthropologist revealed that the tribes of Kalahari took help of the Hoodia Gordonii plant to cactus to stifle their thirst as well as appetite when they travelled in the desert during the later part of 1930. Hoodia Gordonii was the plant used by the people to endure the tough journey in the desert without any harm. It is nature's way of helping travelers.

The properties of this plant became known in the other parts of the world and it caught the fancy of the scientists to use it as a supplement to help people lose weight. Experiments in the lab were conducted by a group of scientists in the sixties especially on animals to understand the properties of the Hoodia Gordonii plant better. They were able to come to a conclusion that it was true that some parts of the plant had the capability of suppressing thirst and hunger.

Not much has been done on this subject after that. Some scientific study was done on humans by a maker of Hoodia Gordonii diet pills later but not much has been reported on this. It is difficult to say how the Hoodia Gordonii cactus helps in curbing a person's hunger. There are no studies also which suggest that there is any negative impact of the plant on humans.

Food and Drug Administration has not given an approval to Hoodia Gordonii plant for being used in supplements for losing weight due to this reason. One can use it as a supplement for weight loss when more research has been done on it and its properties are established.

There is another big problem as it is very difficult to get this plant as it does not grow everywhere. The cactus needs a climate which is very hot with a little bit of humidity, which is common in South African deserts. There is not very good chance of getting this supplement easily and will also cost a lot.