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(NBC News) -- The latest weight loss pill flies off store shelves nationwide, but doctors worry Hoodia, isn't safe.
Hoodia Gordonii comes from a native South African plant. The weight loss supplement is supposed to suppress appetites.
Users say it really works.
Paulette Jackson, Hoodia user: "If you're used to eating three meals a day, you all of a sudden think, 'Oh, I haven't eaten,' you just don't think about it as much."
Many people who take Hoodia say it doesn't give them the side effects that many diet supplements can. But it hasn't been evaluated by the FDA -- doctors say that's a red flag.
Manisha Chandalia, Endocrinologist: "It is concerning that there are no well-planned studies of the supplement to suggest there are no long term, harmful effects of this agent as well as the fact that it truly works."
Doctors suggest dieters wait to take the pill until the F-D-A evaluates its safety.
