catha for weight loss

[medicinedan]

Hi all,

So ephedra has been very popular in the past with diet people. Caffeine also a proven weight loss tool. Amphetamines can be observed to have a very dramatic effect on weight loss. All these compounds are CNS stimulants, is it the CNS stimulating effect that causes the weight loss? Or another mechanism.

And closely related to these is the compounds in catha, so one would assume that catha might have similar weight loss potential as ephedra. Please everyone chip in with your opinion, knowledge. Especially the biochem/ physiology knowledge peoples. Cheerio

MedicineDAn

[shaunus]

all I know is that Catha Edulis suppresses hunger and therefore can contribute to weight loss

also prolonged usage has lead to some cases of Anorexia

so it can defiantly help you loose weight - but I think other substances would be better for it

Edited June 14, 2007 by shaunus

[Torsten]

the CNS effect causes an increase in metabolism and also suppresses hunger. Quite a lot of people are using catha as appetite suppressant since ephedra has become unavailable.

[ergoamide]

AFOAF has always had trouble getting any effects from catha at all. After chewing up to 10 large freash leaves (narrow leaf) he has had no effects, certainly not appetite suppresion or stimulation, could it be the plant or just that he was not having enough?

[medicinedan]

When I went overseas I had some with a friend. For me a little bit, ie one small leaf can go a long way. I cant comment whether it is the plant or you. But I am quite sensitive to psychoactives since I ceased using them so frequently.

Edited June 18, 2007 by medicinedan

[Torsten]

ergo, some people just need more to feel stimulated, but with the NL strain there is the added complication that it is actually not just a stimulant but also an inebriant. The combination is nicer in my opinion, but also detracts from the stimulant intensity.

Also, as you have provided no climate or location data in your profile [presuming your FOAF lives near you] I won't bother commenting on the effects this might have.

[NorthernComfort]

Wouldn't Hoodia be a better aid for dieting?

As controlling your appetite would be way more healthy than stimulants, right?

[Torsten]

Wouldn't Hoodia be a better aid for dieting?

As controlling your appetite would be way more healthy than stimulants, right?

Hoodia is a magic pill for almost anyone who isn't depressed and who doesn't smoke pot. The problem is that there is no ethically harvested Hoodia anywhere in the world. Even that which is harvested under license is done so well beyond sustainability limits. In South Africa indigenous communities are regarded as protected part of nature, so such communities can get licenses to harvest endangered plants if the denial of such a license will endanger the welfare of the community. Problem is that it's not the communities who are making the money on hoodia, but the pharma companies.

Anyway, until there is a sustainable supply of hoodia we are better off looking for alternatives. Most of the commercial hoodia isn't even hoodia. It is actually all sorts of crap that is exported from Botswana and Namibia and has included such funky things as Echinopsis spachianus!!! Neither Botswana not Namibia have any sort of sustainability program for hoodia.

But Hoodia isn't the only worthwhile weight loss plant. I am currently working with a plant that is a weedy tree where it grows and it seems to have a similar effects as Hoodia and a long traditional use. And just like Hoodia it stabilises blood sugar levels, which seems to be the key feature of many such drugs. And that's where I think the biggest problem with stimulants is in that they encourage large sugar fluctuations. When I was using meth once a week I actually put on weight. Stimulants seem to only help you lose weight if you stay on them 24/7

[No_One]

T,

What would you suggest to someone looking into the possibilty of doing a course of Hoodia some time in the future to shed some body-fat?

My thumbs aren't that green, well not from gardening anyway, so I don't know how I'd go growing my own. Should I try growing my own anyway i.e. is it hard/worth it?

Should I just wait till you sort something out with this other specimen you're working with?

Basically I'm after something that will stop my body/stomach thinking it's hungry while I do a fast i.e. putting less energy in then what I'll be putting out.

Peace

[medicinedan]

I think stimulants are good because have the added benefit of being stimulating . One thing a lot of overweight people have in common is inactivity, they are incredibly lazy and consume very little energy compared to the shit foods (high energy/ refined sugars/ fats) some of them shovel into their mouths. So they really benefit from the stimulating nature and find motivation and energy to expend energy. For some cases I think the dangers of being obese outweigh the dangers of a well planned weight loss program incorporating powerful stimulants.

[Torsten]

MNC is probably too cold to grow these well, although grafting may eliminate some of the problems.

Personaly I think there are better possibilities. P57 was already found in several related species and I am sure it will also be found in a species that is easier to grow. There is work ongoing in that direction as the original patent only covers 3 or 4 species.

There is also a very large plantation being established on a different continent in an effort to take the pressure off the African supply. I hope to be able to buy some of their first harvest around xmas this year. It will be very expensive though and I still think there are other option available.

I am helping a friend who is developing a weightloss product which will have a similar effect to hoodia, but will contain no hoodia or merely a 'commercially attractive' amount. As you might know, my interest lies as much with stabilising blood sugar as it does with weightloss, and I think both go hand in hand to be long term effective. We'll be trialling this herbal product shortly and he will then decide if he wants to proceed with it.

If you do decide to go for hoodia now then I suggest you source some bulk plain herb rather than extracts or capsules. With the plain herb you are much more likely to get the real thing.

[planthelper]

T,

What would you suggest to someone looking into the possibilty of doing a course of Hoodia some time in the future to shed some body-fat?

My thumbs aren't that green, well not from gardening anyway, so I don't know how I'd go growing my own. Should I try growing my own anyway i.e. is it hard/worth it?

Should I just wait till you sort something out with this other specimen you're working with?

Basically I'm after something that will stop my body/stomach thinking it's hungry while I do a fast i.e. putting less energy in then what I'll be putting out.

Peace

hoodia is not an easy plant to cultivate, aswell it's not very cheap to purchase (seeds and plants).

but the biggest drawback is, that you would have to grow quite a lot of plants to be able to sustain even only your own supply. i asstimate you would have to wait around 5 years, or even more to be able to harverest for the first time. however once you got a production going, you would probably say that this venture was the best thing you ever did...

forget growing hoodia in areas with frequent or monsunual rain, as this succulent has a habit of turning into a mush within a few days, by a rot producing pathogen which starts at the bottom of the plant.

old specimens of hoodia can get quite big, but regardless, i think you would need at least 50 mature individuals to sufice the needs of just one or two persons.

hoodia is not only a good remedy to facilitate weight loss, there are aswell a few people who reported a sence of well being after consumption of this material via the traditional methodes (plant material get's thrown into the ambers of a fire, for a while and than consumed).

[No_One]

Thanks lads,

Sounds like I'm better off leaving the growing to the pro's!

Might just keep my ear to the ground for you and ya mates magic-potion T.

there are aswell a few people who reported a sence of well being after consumption of this material via the traditional methodes

That's what I'm after i.e. help in over-riding the "get-of-your-arse-and-get-some-food" mechanism/anxiety when my body senses the blood-sugar levels falling below it's accustomed level, the way I see it this should do the trick and no anxiety equals a feeling of well being in my book.

BTW sorry for thread jacking,

Peace