There have been many reports coming into our newsroom about the so-called natural appetite suppressant called Hoodia. Hoodia is made from a rare cactus that only grows in very hot climates like in South Africa and has become famous since the talk show host Oprah Winfrey advertised it and endorsed it on her famous TV chat show.

However we decided at Ukmedix to look into the Hoodia plant and find out what all the fuss is about. Firstly just because the Hoodia appetite suppressant comes from a cactus does not mean that it a harmless natural product. Some of the world most harmful and powerful toxins are natural and so this is no guarantee of safety.

As Hoodia has not been tested or endorsed by the FDA in America or by the EMEA in the European Union it is in fact illegal to import Hoodia into the UK and this is done in the interest of public safety and health. While there is evidence that people who take the Hoodia product end up feeling less hungry than those who don’t there has been no clinical testing done to evaluate short or long term side effects.

Very often people buy Hoodia in response spam email and this means that they could be easy prey for Internet thieves who may or may not be sending you the real Hoodia. They will also have your credit card details to use as they see fit. At Ukmedix we feel that until the drug has been thoroughly tested by the relevant medical authorities it is best to stay well clear from it.

We have recently come across stories of people who innocently bought so called natural appetite suppressants and they were later found to have contained sibutramine that is the active ingredient of Reductil the prescription drug. Sibutramine can be very dangerous if administered to the wrong people.

Many people feel that the fact that Oprah Winfrey endorsed the use of Hoodia was very irresponsible and that she should retract her comments about the drug. The rare cactus that Hoodia comes from is also an international recognized endangered species and thus its export is severely restricted for that reason too.