The History of Hoodia Gordonii

Hoodia gordonii is found only in South Africa and is a cactus like plant. It is also called xhooba, khoba, Ghaap, and Hoodia cactus. It is sold in several forms; the most popular is the capsule. It is also sold as spray, liquid extract, and patch, or in the form of tea. The Hoodia gordonii plant is found in the semi-deserts of South Africa in clumps of green stems that stand upright. It is a succulent with pale purple flowers. When the flowers appear, the cactus plant is harvested. It takes about five years for the plant to produce these pale purple flowers. There are 20 different types of Hoodia but the variety known, as Hoodia gordonii is believed to have the natural appetite suppressant.

Hoodia is a recent discovery but the Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert have been eating it for centuries. The San Bushmen live off the land and would cut off a Hoodia stem and eat it to curb hunger and thirst during long hunting trips. The Bushmen use Hoodia to treat abdominal cramps, indigestion, hypertension, diabetes, and tuberculosis.

The publicity on Hoodia gordonii started after a report by 60 Minutes reporter Leslie Stahl. A local bushman took them into the desert to track down the Hoodia plant. Ms. Stahl ate the Hoodia and experienced no hunger or thirst for the rest of the day. She also did not complain of heart palpitations or stomach problems. She states the Hoodia worked for her.

Hoodia works by releasing a chemical compound that works in the brain releasing a chemical compound that is similar to glucose, but 100,000 times more powerful. When the chemical gets to the hypothalamus it gives it the information that enough food has been eaten and curbs the appetite. It is believed that Hoodia gordonii fools the brain into believing the stomach is full. When the stomach is full the brain stops thinking about food.

Hoodia has been researched by a national laboratory in South America and found promising results. Lab animals lost weight after being fed Hoodia. The active ingredient was isolated which they named p57. Testing was done in a clinical setting and there was a significant difference in the group that was given the actual Hoodia and the group that was given the placebo. The group that took Hoodia showed a decrease in body fat and experienced no significant side effects. Other studies suggest that Hoodia can reduce caloric intake by as much as 50 percent! Rats bred specifically to be obese and to have diabetes lost weight and saw a decrease in their diabetes symptoms.

Hoodia is controlled and regulated by the South African government. It is important to look at labels of the products you are buying. It should have a C.I.T.E.S. certificate and an independent lab report that verifies the authenticity and the quality of the Hoodia. A British company patented Hoodia in 1995 and the South African government licensed p57 to a company named Phytopharm. Pfizer also became interested in Hoodia and bought a sublicense but returned it to the Phytopharm Company because they didn’t believe it would be cost-effective to turn it into a prescription grade pharmacy product. Phytopharm is now working with Unilever to develop a product using the p57 molecule. It is not expected to be available for several more years.