Caralluma Fimbriata. For most people, the question is…what is it? Just another Johnny Come Lately fad diet supplement? Well, maybe yes and maybe no. Let’s take a little journey and find out exactly what Caralluma is and what it is not.

Caralluma, which is a succulent, is a not so well known member of the cactus family. It grows profusely in India and the surrounding areas but can be found as far north as Afghanistan.

The locals in most regions of India have eaten Caralluma as a vegetable for hundreds of years if not longer. The green leafy parts of the plant are most usually and eaten with a little salt. It can be eaten cooked or raw. Among other things, it is also made into a variety of pickles and different chutney’s.

The locals who eat this vegetable found it contained certain properties that acted like a natural appetite and diet suppressant while at the same time boosting their energy level and quenching their thirst. For this reason Caralluma has always been used as a portable hunting food and also became known locally as a “famine food” and used extensively in the drier, more arid regions of India.

Modern science has now caught up with Caralluma Fimbriata and this new succulent cactus is making a booming appearance in the diet and fitness world. Not only does it appear to have the ability to suppress the appetite and give your endurance a boost but it also looks promising in lowering blood sugar levels as well.

Research has now discovered that extracts of Caralluma Fimbriata appear to act on certain hunger centers in the brain itself thereby causing a reduction in the feelings of hunger. Unlike most appetite suppressants on the market today, Caralluma does not seem to have any type of affect on the neurotransmitters within these hunger centers.

More recently, studies are finding that pregnane glycoside, an important extract of Caralluma seems to be not only an effective appetite suppressant but also a major player in the reduction of BMI, fat, blood glucose, blood pressure and a noticeable reduction in waste and hip circumferences as well.

The same studies have also concluded that there appears to be improvement in not only memory function, hearing and capillary health but also notable enhancement of the HDL/LDL blood ratio’s as well as controlling joint inflammation and others.

Surprisingly, Caralluma Fimbriata is a completely natural appetite suppressant and does not contain any artificial ingredient, chemicals or any type of preservative which more recent studies indicate can possibly interfere in the body’s natural dieting process.

As far as any know toxicity or adverse reaction associated with the use of Caralluma, there have never been any recorded instance of either. In fact, there have been numerous studies done of late to determine the safety factor in human consumption. The main facts remain. This vegetable has been eaten by countless generations without any know consequence. Not sure there are any better studies than that.

If you haven’t heard much about Caralluma yet you will in the near future as this newcomer to the weight loss arena is poised to take the appetite suppression market by storm. I expect it will overtake Hoodia, which is not only more expensive but less effective and not as readily available.