by : Patricia Zelkovsky

Yo have heard of the hoodia gordonii patch and it seems like a better choice for weight loss.

Just stick the hoodia patch on your skin and then forget about it. No need to take hoodia pills with water at a certain time, no need to drink hoodia liquid or prepare hoodia tea. But can it actually live up to its hype?

Manufacturers of the hoodia gordonii patch maintain that their product contains the hoodia plant's active ingredient in a convenient stick-on, non-messy product. But what exactly makes this product better or if not, why would it not work?

What it is supposed to do.
The patch is a time-release product and the skin is supposed to absorb its ingredients and carry it to the bloodstream. The chemicals in the patch will then stop you from craving food. It works in the same way as some doctor-prescribed contraceptive and nicotine patches.

Know the source.
The hoodia gordonii is a succulent plant that has been used by the San Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert as food to sustain them on long hunting trips. The Bushmen have been using it to help suppress the feeling of hunger and thirst so they can go on prolonged journeys without needing or stopping for food.

This practice was first noted by a Dutch anthropologist in the 1930s. In the 1960s, the South African national laboratory, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), were able to study the hoodia when they included it as part of an indigenous food study of the region.

The South African scientists then spent 30 years to isolate the active ingredient in hoodia, which they named p57. After obtaining a patent in 1995, they licensed the rights to develop to a British company named Phytopharm who recognized the promise of hoodia and provided funding for further study. At one time, Pfizer was part of the research but they have since backed out.

The active ingredient in the hoodia is a steroidal glycoside which acts on the hypothalamus, which is the satiety center of the brain. The brain is then unable to send a signal to the body that it is hungry or thirsty. This feeling of being full will prevent a person from eating and consuming calories. So the less a person eats, the more weight he loses.

A news correspondent for 60 Minutes, Lesley Stahl, visited South Africa to gain first-hand experience of the hoodia. A Bushman was hired to find the plant and after Stahl cut a stem and ate it, she reported no negative side effects whatsoever. She also did not feel hungry or thirsty at around the time when she should have. She even declared that it seemed to work.

This media coverage and other appearances in the news and on websites gave the hoodia gordonii some considerable exposure.

Is the active ingredient readily available?
The hoodia plant grows in the wild in the Kalahari. It is a sturdy plant that is designed to survive in a region where there is little water. Phytopharm has set up plantations in South Africa to grow it under controlled conditions. The company is confident of success in breeding this plant and is planning on expanding by using more land for propagation.

Scientists have also attempted to produce the active ingredient through synthetic means. While it has been successful, the process is by no means expensive and the amount of product produced is too small for large-scale mass market consumption.

The hoodia plant is not available in abundant quantity, which is why the product cost is still high.

So what is the skinny on the hoodia gordonii patch?

Hoodia gordonii products are relatively new and very little has been published about it. Although there have been no clinical test studies conducted on its effectiveness as of yet, the re-ordering of hoodia diet patches are high, which should tell us something. Hoodia diet patches should not be used by pregnant women, lactating mothers, children and people with pre-existing conditions like heart ailments, kidney problems and diabetes.

What worked for the Bushmen of the Kalahari may not work as effectively with the average American considering that there is a huge difference in diet and lifestyle.

It is also good to know that Phytopharm, who has been studying the plant for several years, plan to market it through diet supplements and meal substitutes. Yes, hoodia works that well.

Furthermore, hoodia weight loss patches should be administered with the proper supervision of a doctor, as are contraceptive and nicotine patches. As with starting with any diet or fitness program you should always confer with your health care practitioner to make sure that you do not have any underlying health risks.

Choose hoodia patches that offer a full money back guarantee or allow you to try the product free for at least 7 days to see if it works for you.
As with any weight loss patch or product, using the hoodia gordonii patch requires a certain amount of common sense and a willingness to engage in healthy lifestyle choices.