So, you want to lose weight and look fabulous. Who does not? Unfortunately, weight loss is nearly impossible if you cannot get a grip on your appetite. One popular, yet natural, appetite suppressant, hoodia gordonii may be just what you need to control your appetite and lose weight; however, there are some things you should know and check before you buy hoodia.

South Africa is the home of this cactus, hoodia gordonii. The way hoodia works is quite interesting. It contains p57, which mimics glucose in your body. Hunger is normally triggered when your blood glucose levels drop. Your brain lets the hypothalamus know that you need to eat and the hunger sensation is felt. If p57 is on board, the brain thinks your blood glucose levels are fine which allows you to better control your appetite.

However, if you are diabetic or hypoglycemic, you rely on careful control of your blood glucose levels. For this reason, you should not take hoodia. On the other hand, if you have been eating quite a few sugary snacks and overly processed refined foods (breads, pastas, white rice etc.), hoodia may be perfect! When you eat a diet such as this, your body begins to signal hunger and cravings for sugar at much higher blood glucose levels. So, hoodia can help you get things back to normal so you no longer crave sugar.

In addition to understanding how hoodia works, you need to check on a few things before you buy hoodia.

First, is the company authorized to legally trade with South Africa? Hoodia gordonii became quite popular and because of this, illegal trading of hoodia took place. The South African government had to put restrictions on which companies would be allowed to legally buy pure hoodia from South Africa. The company needs to be C.I.T.E.S. certified and the website and packaging will indicate this with a seal.

In order to ensure 100% pure hoodia was used in the product, not only should the company be C.I.T.E.S. certified, but it will also have evidence of independent laboratory testing. The legal purchase does not ensure pure hoodia because some companies cut corners and put less hoodia in their product to offer it at a cheaper price. This makes the supplement ineffective.

You also want to read the entire ingredient label and research any other ingredients meant to aid in weight loss. The hoodia may be fine, but other ingredients, especially harmful stimulants such as ephedra (previously banned in the U.S., but still available on the internet) may cause side effects. Ephedra was suspect in the deaths of young women taking dieting pills containing ephedra.

Caffeine is also another popular additive to hoodia supplements, and though some people may tolerate it well, others who are sensitive to caffeinated beverages should avoid these types of supplements.

Looking fantastic is a great thing. Just be sure you do your homework so you are not doing more harm than good!