Hoodia Gordonii, known as the ‘Bushman’s Hat’ and ‘Queen of the Namib’, is a flowering plant native to Southern Africa. It belongs to the Apocynaceae family. It grows to a height of a meter and has tan or purple color flowers that have a strong smell. The natives call the plant Khoba, Ghaap and Xhooba. The plant is found in the semi-deserts of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Angola. It is a plant that is specifically native to the Namib Desert.

The San Bushmen of Southern Africa had long known and used an herb, Hoodia gordonii, for a variety of illness. They also used to eat it to suppress their hunger for a number of days when they had to go hunting where food was scarce. After removing the roots, leaves, flowers and spines, they would peel away the skin before eating it. This use of hoodia became popular worldwide only in recent years. Hoodia is found in the Kalahari Desert. What it actually does is to imitate the effect of glucose on the nerve cells of the brain many times over. You will not feel hungry; but instead you feel as though you are full. The loss of the urge to eat will mean lesser calories in your body and lesser still to burn away.