cactus extract hoodia gordonii what is hoodia? hoodia is a succulent plant found in the kalahari desert of south africa. the genus encompasses a number of varieties of plant of which hoodia gordonii is one species. hoodia plants are succulents, not cacti, although they do have a spiny appearance similar to cacti how has hoodia gordonii been used in the past? for many centuries the san bushmen of the kalahari desert have used hoodia plants as a food. the species hoodia gordonii was less often used because of its lingering bitter taste being considered unpleasant. however, in times of hardship, or being away from familiar areas, it was sometimes eaten. how did the csir's research into hoodia gordonii commence? due to the tradition of food use of hoodia plants, certain species were included in a scientific research project established by the south african statutory council known as csir (council for scientific and industrial research) to screen a large number of bush foods. as part of the screening process, extracts of plants were made and tested for toxic effects. surprisingly, it was observed that the hoodia extracts caused a decrease in appetite and body weight in animals that did not appear to be due to a direct toxic effect of the extract. ******************************************* if there are any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. bring nature to better life! organic herb inc. address:n0.1038shanshuirenjia3rd,kaiyuanroad,xingsha,changsha,china contact : ms.lily liu phone +86 731 4060868 mobile +86 135 1747 5149 fax +86 731 4023669 email: lily@organic-herb.com msn messenger： lily@organic-herb.com website: http://www.organic-herb.com