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Herb library · Herb · Hoodia gordonii

Hoodia

A leafless succulent from the Kalahari, sold for appetite control and weight loss. The only controlled study in people found no effect on weight or food intake, and it raised concerns about blood pressure and heart rate.

Traditional use

The San peoples of the Kalahari have used hoodia to suppress appetite during long hunts; LiverTox notes it may be more accurate to say it was a food, used mostly to quench thirst. Laboratory work on a steroid-like compound (P57) led to its marketing as a weight-loss supplement.

What studies show

  • Insufficient

    Weight loss and appetite: only one small study has been done in people. In 49 overweight women taking a purified hoodia extract for 15 days, there was no difference from placebo in weight or in how much they ate.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • NoteIn that one study, people taking hoodia had more nausea, vomiting, dizziness and odd skin sensations than those on placebo, and the researchers saw safety concerns in blood pressure and heart measures. Their blood pressure, pulse, bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase rose.
  • NoteLiverTox has not linked hoodia to clinically apparent liver injury. Demand has led to other Hoodia species, which may not act the same way, being sold under its name.
  • PregnancyLittle is known about whether hoodia is safe during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, have high blood pressure or a heart condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.

Sources

  1. Hoodia: Usefulness and Safety (opens in a new tab) · NCCIH · read September 25, 2026
  2. Hoodia - LiverTox (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  3. Effects of 15-d repeated consumption of Hoodia gordonii purified extract on safety, ad libitum energy intake, and body weight in healthy, overweight women: a randomized controlled trial (Am J Clin Nutr, 2011) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.