Recently there has been a lot of buzz regarding a hot new weight-loss product called hoodia. With all the conflicting information out there, it can be difficult to choose the right hoodia diet pill for you.

Before shopping for a hoodia diet pill, you need to be properly informed. Read on to find out more about hoodia and how it can help you lose weight.

Hoodia is a prickly cactus-like plant called a succulent. It grows about 18 inches tall and features large, creamy blossoms that are unpleasantly scented. The San tribe, also known as African bushmen, have used hoodia to suppress their appetites for centuries.

Hoodia works in a way similar to glucose, except that it is 100,000 more effective than glucose in suppressing unhealthy food cravings. Researchers from Rhode Island's Brown University discovered that hoodia suppresses appetite by tricking the brain into thinking you're full.

The only place hoodia can legally be exported from is the Western Cape of South Africa in the Kalahari desert. After 30 years of study, the South African national lab was able to identify and isolate the component in hoodia, called P57, that caused the appetite suppression. Once they did, they got a patent and licensed it to a corporation called Phytopharm for millions of dollars. Phytopharm is currently working on producing bars and shakes that are made with pure hoodia. These products are expected to hit the market by 2008.

There are many different products on the market that contain hoodia. Before buying a hoodia diet pill product, be sure that what you're buying is either pure hoodia gordonii or contains a high concentration of it.

There have been no reported side effects from taking hoodia. So, if you experience unpleasant effects after taking a hoodia diet pill, they are coming from the other ingredients and not from the hoodia itself.