Background

Hoodia is a cactus-type plant from the Kalahari Desert in Africa.

People use hoodia to curb their appetite so they can lose weight. According to some claims, San bushmen in Africa eat hoodia to fight off hunger during long hunts.

Be careful when buying hoodia products. According to news reports, some samples of hoodia sold on the Internet do not contain any hoodia at all. You might not get what's listed on the label. Also, a certain hoodia product (P57 Hoodia, Huikng Pharmaceuticals) has been shown to contain sibutramine. Sibutramine is a substance removed from the US market in 2010 due to its potential to increase blood pressure and heart rate.

Safety Safety definitions

There isn't enough information to know if hoodia is safe. There is some evidence that hoodia might cause minor side effects such as headache, dizziness, giddiness, nausea, and unusual skin sensations. Also, there is concern that hoodia might increase blood pressure and heart rate.

Special Precautions & Warnings:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of hoodia during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

Diabetes: Hoodia might lower blood sugar by increasing the production of insulin. Watch for signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and monitor your blood sugar carefully if you are being treated for diabetes and use hoodia.

High blood pressure: Hoodia might increase blood pressure. This might cause blood pressure to become too high in people already at risk for high blood pressure.

Effectiveness

Dosing & administration

The appropriate dose of hoodia depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for hoodia. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.

Interactions with pharmaceuticals

Insulin

Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.

Hoodia might lower blood sugar by increasing the production of insulin. Taking hoodia along with insulin might cause your blood sugar to be too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your insulin might need to be changed.

Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs)

Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.

Hoodia might lower blood sugar by increasing the production of insulin. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking hoodia along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed.
Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.

Medications for high blood pressure (Antihypertensive drugs)

Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.

Hoodia might increase blood pressure in some people. Taking hoodia along with blood pressure-lowering medications might decrease the effects of the medications and cause your blood pressure to go too high.
Some medications for high blood pressure include captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), losartan (Cozaar), valsartan (Diovan), diltiazem (Cardizem), Amlodipine (Norvasc), hydrochlorothiazide (HydroDIURIL), furosemide (Lasix), and many others.

Medications for high blood pressure (Beta-blockers)

Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.

Hoodia might increase blood pressure. Beta-blockers are a type of medicine used to lower blood pressure. Taking hoodia along with beta-blockers might decrease the effects of the beta-blockers and cause your blood pressure to go too high.
Some beta-blockers include atenolol (Tenormin), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL), nadolol (Corgard), propranolol (Inderal), and others.

Interactions with herbs & supplements

Herbs and supplements that might lower blood sugar: Hoodia might lower blood sugar by increasing the production of insulin. Using it with other herbs and supplements that might also lower blood sugar might cause blood sugar to go too low in some people. Some of these products include alpha-lipoic acid, bitter melon, chromium, devil's claw, fenugreek, garlic, guar gum, horse chestnut, Panax ginseng, psyllium, Siberian ginseng, and others.

Interactions with foods

There are no known interactions with foods.

Action

One chemical in hoodia called P57 is thought to decrease feelings of hunger. But it's not clear how P57 causes this effect. Another chemical in hoodia called gordonoside F is thought to decrease feelings of hunger by increasing the production of insulin.