Caralluma Fimbriata: The Next Hoodia?

Caralluma Fimbriata. Say what? I can almost hear you now…”not another fad diet supplement!” Well, yes and no. First, lets get into just what the heck Caralluma is…and what it’s 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.

For literally hundreds of years it has been eaten by the locals of the region as a vegetable and can be eaten both raw and cooked. The green follicles of the plant are usually boiled, salted and eaten. It is also very popular there in making a variety of different chuntney’s and pickles.