Why is Hoodia Gordonii So Hard To Find?

Hoodia Gordonii is a rare plant, that why it is hard to find. Unlike crops, which can be grown in farms easily, Hoodia Godonii  is one plant species which cannot be grown under captivity so easily. This is a thought shared by many horticulturists.

Hoodia Gordonii requires sandy soil for growth. It cannot grow in regular soils. Furthermore, the sandy soil used for growing Hoodia Gordonii, must have proper drainage otherwise, this succulent will simply rot away. Another feature of this succulent is that it requires about five to seven years to grow to a mature stage, wherein its appetite suppressing properties can benefit the person who is taking it. This is a really long time given the huge demand for Hoodia which is because it naturally suppresses the appetite and shows no side effects.

There are farms in South Africa which grow Hoodia Gordonii. Hoodia Gordonii is a protected plant species and so the South African government has made it necessary to acquire government permission to grow the succulent in South African farms.  Farms which grow them have acquired the necessary permission and only then do they proceed to grow the succulent.

When Leslie Stahl, the BBC reporter tasted the Hoodia Gordonii which was grown in Phytopharm’s farms, she said that it tasted bitter than the Hoodia  she had tasted in the wild. So, there is some difference in Hoodia grown in the wild and Hoodia grown in farms.  The Phytopharm representative who spoke to Leslie stated that there will be many challenges as they get into the process of growing Hoodia in the wild.