The amount of research on hoodia is not great. It was found during research at Brown University that a hoodia effects nerve cells in the brain that adjusts blood glucose. These nerves monitors these levels and when hoodia is ingested it fools the brain into thinking that your body has enough energy and doesn’t need to consume energy (food).

Researchers believe they have found the active molecule in hoodia that is responsible for its appetite surpresing qualities. Researchers from the South African government isolated a molecule they named P57 which they believe is the substance that causes the brain to think that it is full.

Scientists have introduced the P57 molecule to lab rats to find that the animals reduced food intake by as much as 60%.