Hoodia is a spiny, succulent plant native to South Africa, where the indigenous San people have used it for hundreds of years to help ward off hunger and thirst on extended hunting trips.
Scientific studies have credited a steroidal glycoside termed P57AS3 (P57) as the active compound in Hoodia that gives the plant its appetite-suppressing properties.
Scientists report that P57 mimics the effects of glucose on nerve cells (neurons) in the brain – specifically, that P57 increases adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the neurons of the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is the “control center” of the brain that regulates thirst, appetite and temperature. When ATP levels increase, this signals to the hypothalamus that the body is satiated.
A study conducted at the Hallett Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology at Brown Medical School demonstrated that P57 raised ATP content in the hypothalamic neurons by 50-150% and decreased 24-hour food intake by 40-60%.
Hoodia is not a stimulant and does not cause jitters, palpitations, racing heartbeat, or sleeplessness.