Are There Any Appetite Suppressants Other Than Hoodia That You Would Suggest?

Are there any other appetite suppressant supplements you would suggest? I’d love to find something less expensive than hoodia. Metabolife worked great for me when it was available, but I haven’t found anything else that effective since. -Tamara

Tamara:

Thanks for contacting me! I get this question a lot. When people realize how expensive authentic hoodia is, they are quick to look for cheaper alternatives! As far as natural appetite suppressants go, there is only one supplement I would recommend other than hoodia and it’s called caralluma fimbriata.

Caralluma is very similar to hoodia. Like hoodia gordonii, caralluma has been used for centuries as a natural appetite suppressant to sustain tribesmen during long hunting trips. It also works similar to hoodia in that it tricks the brain into thinking it is full. And like hoodia, caralluma fimbriata has been shown to be safe with virtually no side effects.

Caralluma has a couple advantages over hoodia gordonii, however. For one, it is far more abundant than hoodia. Unlike hoodia gordonii where it is only grown in a few countries, caralluma is grown in many countries including Africa and India. Second, caralluma isn’t a protected plant so CITES certificates are not required to buy or sell it. As a result of these advantages, the price of raw caralluma is cheaper than hoodia gordonii.

The million dollar question is, how effective is caralluma? According to Millennium Health, the makers of Hoodia Hoodia and a large importer of caralluma, preliminary indications are that caralluma is at least as effective as hoodia and possibly even stronger. That’s a pretty bold claim but if it holds true, caralluma will likely surpass hoodia gordonii in terms of popularity and demand. For now, however, not too many people know about caralluma and it doesn’t have much of a track record. Furthermore, it’s hard to find authentic caralluma supplements.

If you do a search for caralluma supplements online, you’ll find them everywhere but like hoodia, it’s hard to know if these supplements are authentic. Millennium Health sells authentic caralluma in bulk but at the time of this writing (summer 2007) they don’t have a product available for consumers. I’ve been told that they will have a retail product available soon.

If you can wait, I would definitely recommend Millennium Health’s product because they have been proven to be an honest and trustworthy importer of raw materials. I have no doubt that their caralluma supplements will be authentic. In the mean time, I honestly can’t recommend any brands right now because I’m not that familiar with them. If you find one, let me know and I’ll pass it along to my visitors!

I hope this helps.

Travis