Hoodia Gordonii Plus is an appetite suppressant and metabolism booster and may help you lose weight. It does not contain any known harmful ingredients, as far as scientific research is aware of to date. The "plus" in the name means it is 100% pure South African Hoodia from the Kalahari Desert and certified as such. It is licensed by the Western Cape Conservation Authority of South Africa and is certified to be authentic. There are two certified documents required are the C.I.T.E.S Certificate and the Analytical Report. If the seller cannot produce these documents, best not to buy the product from them. To give you some background on what hoodia is, on November 21, 2004, television's CBS - 60 Minutes aired a program about this diet pill and for the first time many people were introduced to this traditional botanical. Drug companies tried to turn it into a drug, but were unsuccessful. The Working Group of Indigenous Minorities in Southern Africa (WIMSA) contested and recently won their case against multinational pharmaceutical companies seeking to develop a drug from South African Hoodia. So, the drug companies are out of this market and the product is being sold by a few big independent distributors instead. I guess that's a good thing depending on how you look at it. This unusual plant grows in clumps of green upright stems and is actually a succulent, not a cactus. It is from the Kalahari desert, home of the San People. These Bushmen, who live off the land, would cut off part of the stem and eat it to ward off hunger and thirst during nomadic hunting trips. How does it work ? Basically, what happens is that the brain is tricked into thinking there is enough energy (blood sugar) and doesn't need to eat, so it shuts down the hunger mechanism. Normally, it can take up 2 weeks to really kick in, however, many people notice the appetite suppressing effects within one day. Be sure to drink enough water, because hoodia will also shut off your thirst mechanism to a certain extent. This weight loss pill ontains pure hoodia, and a few other ingredients : - Magnesium - an essential nutrient, found in significant quantities throughout the body and used for muscle relaxation, blood clotting, and the manufacture of ATP (adenosine triphosphate, the body's main energy molecule). - Garcinia Cambogia Extract - research suggests that this natural extract seems to inhibit the conversion of excess calories to body fat. Also, appetite is suppressed by promoting synthesis of glycogen. Glycogen is the stored form of glucose, one of the body's primary sources of energy. Increased glycogen production and storage is the body's normal way of signaling the brain's satiety centre that enough food has been eaten. This has made Garcinia a very effective herbal medicine for controlling obesity and cholesterol. So, this helps boost your energy levels. - Green Tea - contains powerful anti-oxidants like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), has been shown to be effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. In summary, please note that hoodia gordonii plus is not a wonder pill. It can assist those that have trouble losing weight, but it is not the whole solution. If you need to lose weight, you still need to exercise and eat food that is good for you. If you have any questions on using this product, you should consult with your doctor.