Hoodia officinalis Seeds - Succulents Indigenous to South Africa

Hoodia officinalis Seeds

Hoodia is a genus of succulent plants in the family Apocynaceae that is widely used traditionally by the San people of southern Africa as an appetite suppressant, thirst quencher and as a cure for severe abdominal cramps, haemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, hypertension and diabetes.

Hoodia officinalis is found from south of Windhoek (Namibia) all through southern Namibia and eastwards up to Orange Free State near Jacobsdal (South Africa). The plant can neither be found in the south-western winter rainfall region in Namibia nor in parts of the eastern Kalahari. This kind of Hoodia is the one with the widest occurrence.

Propagation is done mainly from seed. Cuttings are not really an option, as the severed ends very rarely form a callus from where roots will eventually form.