Hoodia Gordonii 20:1 Extract Powder

The fairly recent discovery of the amazing botanical Hoodia Gordonii has brought to light the dietary knowledge of the South African San Bushmen. Indigo Herbs, following the discovery of new and effective indigenous dietary supplements, now has in its massive array of products Hoodia Gordonii 20:1 Powder Extract. Bringing important products into the public sphere is one of Indigo Herbs main concerns and Hoodia Gordonii is one such product that has been proven to be an amazing help to those who want to become healthy and fighting fit.

In South Africa the San people of the Kalahari Desert have a vast base of knowledge to survive this punishing environment. For thousands of years these indigenous peoples have used the Hoodia Gordonii plant under the name of ‘!Khoba’ (the initial sound is a lateral click) or ‘Ghaap’ in Afrikaans. It is thought that when the San hunters go into the desert to hunt they use this plant to keep their bodies from wearing thin from hunger and thirst. Not only used on hunting trips, the San Tribe traditionally take Hoodia Gordonii to bring strength, focus, energy and wellbeing.  It wasn’t until 1996 during a survey by the South African Council of Scientific and Industrial Research into the diet of the San Bushmen that Hoodia Gordonii was first discovered. The research group found that when they fed animals Hoodia Gordonii that they lost significant amounts of weight without loss of health. By 1997 the South African Government made sure that the San Bushmen received royalties for passing on their ancestral knowledge and for any Hoodia Gordonii that is harvested from the parts of the desert occupied by the San people. Interestingly, this plant cannot be synthetically synthesised in a lab and so most, if not all, Hoodia Gordonii comes from its natural habitat of the Kalahari Desert.

Hoodia Gordonii’s natural habitat is South Africa and Namibia but can also be found in Botswana and Angola. Similar to a cacti this succulent can grow up to 1 meter in height and produce many spiny stems with some stems weighing as much as 30kg. The flowers are purple/maroon, saucer shaped, and have a very foul smell. Being quite hardy, a mature plant can withstand temperatures as high as 50°C and as low as -3°C. They can grow in the deep sands of the Kalahari or on stony embankments and usually germinate under the branches and leaves of other plants. This is so the Hoodia Gordonii receives protection from the burning rays of the sun while still in its infancy.