What is Hoodia

Hoodia is a spiny, flowering, succulent plant under the family Apocynaceae, known as the milkweed or dog-bane family. It is often widely erroneously termed as a cactus by many; however, it is not related to the cactus family. In fact, cactus is an American indigenous plant and is absent in Africa, where hoodia plants thrive.

The plant can reach 1 meter in height and bears huge flesh-colored flowers which comes with a pungent odor. It can grow around ten stems, which are lined with thorns.

The plant is also popularly called as Queen of Namib, Bushman's Hat, Ghaap, Hoodia "cactus" and South African "desert cactus". To the African indigenous Bushmen, however, it is colloquially called as Xhoba.

The 13 Hoodia species can be found in Africa, where they are unevenly distributed. They thrive in stony areas and are commonly found in the plains, particularly in the Desert of Namib, which extends from the heart of Namibia to south Angola. They are in abundance in summer rainfall parts South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Angola and even in Namibia, in its winter rainfall parts. Of these countries, however, the plant's diversity is centered in Namibia and South Africa.

South Africa is home to a variety of hoodia species, especially in its arid parts. In fact, the Hoodia gordonii, a natural hunger and thirst suppressant and the most popular among the species which is sought after in trade may be found in abundance in South Africa.

The species plays a significant part in Africa's culture. Historical records have shown that African tribes, particularly those from Botswana, South Africa and Angola, had been using the plant for a variety of purposes. They are typically used for ornamental purposes and grown as garden plants. They also contain medicinal components which had long been used by the natives to cure common medical conditions like indigestion, severe abdominal cramps and hemorrhoids. It has already been widely used as alternative cure for more severe illnesses such as tuberculosis, hypertension and diabetes. In fact, the species Hoodia gordonii is considered to be a natural appetite suppressant, which can aid in weight loss to prevent and reduce obesity.

In some areas, the plant may grow populously, including Hoodia gordonii. Some species, however, grow in scarcity in remote areas and has low distribution extent. Because of some species' rarity, they have been assessed as threatened. The Botanic Gardens Conservation International, which represents 120 countries' botanic gardens, stated in January 2008 that Hoodia is at risk of extinction in Namibia. Efforts now are put up to protect the excessive exploration of the species.

The plant hoodia has a genus of 13 known species, which are as follows: