| Hoodia is a genus in the plant family Apocynaceae, in | | | | San people spoke in an interview with ABC news: "I |
| the part of the family previously treated as a separate | | | | learned how to eat it from my forefathers. It is my |
| family Asclepiadaceae. They are stem succulents that | | | | food, my water and also a medicine for me. |
| can reach up to 1 m high and present exuberant | | | | Steenkamp also spoke about the uses for the plant: |
| flowers, often with flesh colour and strong smell. | | | | "We San use the plant during hunting to fight off the |
| Hoodias are protected plants, typical of the Namib | | | | pain of hunger and thirst." |
| Desert, ranging from Central Namibia to southern | | | | The discovery of Hoodia |
| Angola, especially in plains and rocky areas. Common | | | | It was not until the mid 1970s that commercial and |
| names include "Bushmans Hat" and "Queen of the | | | | scientific interest appeared for using Hoodia Gordonii |
| Namib". | | | | cactus extract as an appetite suppressant. |
| The medicinal use of Hoodia is long known by the | | | | Over the next thirty years, South Africa's National |
| indigenous populations of Southern Africa, who use | | | | Laboratory worked on isolating and identifying the |
| these plants for treating indigestion and small infections. | | | | active compound in Hoodia Gordonii that was |
| Recently the pharmaceutical companies discovered | | | | responible for the appetite suppressant effects. |
| that Hoodia extracts can be used to lower blood | | | | Scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial |
| pressure and reduce the appetite. | | | | Research (CSIR) in Southern Africa applied for a |
| This breakthrough research lead to such a demand for | | | | patent in 1997 and in turn licensed the development |
| Hoodia plants, that a protected status was imposed in | | | | and commercialization to a biotech firm in the United |
| several countries like Namibia. | | | | Kingdom, Phytopharm research. ( for more on the |
| The native Bushmans name for this plant is Xshoba. | | | | scientific study of Hoodia and information about its |
| Hoodias are also grown as garden plants. | | | | active compound 'P57', see our scientific research |
| The Hoodia Plant | | | | page here. |
| The cactus-like Hoodia Gordonii plant is native to the | | | | Since licensing the research to Phytopharm, who then |
| Kalahari desert region of Southern Africa. | | | | in turn sold the licensing to Pzfizer, millions of dollars in |
| Hoodia is a member of the Asclepiadoideae sub-family | | | | research and multiple scientific studies have taken |
| of the Apocynaceae family which is a genus of | | | | place confirming that the active compound in Hoodia |
| succulents plants that are related to cacti. | | | | Gordonii is extremely effective at relieving hunger. |
| Succulents are plants that store water in their | | | | This research solidifies the hundreds of years of |
| engorged fleshy roots, stems and leaves. a majority of | | | | anecdotal evidence regarding the unique qualities of |
| Parenchyma tissue contributes to this storage of | | | | the Hoodia plant. |
| water which enables them to grow in harsh, dry | | | | The active compound that is responsible for the |
| environments. | | | | effects of Hoodia Gordonii on appetite has been |
| There are 13 species of Hoodia, twelve of which are | | | | named "P57" by the pharmaceutical companies. |
| native to Southern Africa. The plant is seen as a small | | | | The molecule has a direct action on an area of the |
| clump of upright stems having a palish green color. | | | | brain known as the hypothalamus, which regulates |
| Hoodia are extremely difficult to grow and require a lot | | | | many functions of the body, including that of hunger |
| of attention and precise regulation of temperature, | | | | and appetite. When you eat, the rise in your blood |
| sunlight and water. | | | | sugar is detected by this part of the brain, which then |
| The various Hoodia species occur in rainfall areas in | | | | determines that you have eaten and in response |
| Namibia, Botswana, Angola, and other areas of | | | | release hormones that give the feeling of being "full". |
| Southern Africa. Although the genus Hoodia is | | | | The Hoodia compound mimics the sugar glucose, so |
| somewhat common in Southern Africa, Hoodia | | | | when taken as a supplement, your brain detects what |
| Gordonii usually only occurs in South Africa and | | | | it thinks is a rise in blood glucose and sends these |
| Namibia. | | | | same hormones, in effect tricking your body into |
| The San People | | | | thinking it has already eaten. |
| The hunter-gatherer San speaking tribal people of the | | | | Hoodia Gordonii taken regularly as a diet supplement |
| Kalahari desert have long known about the appetite | | | | provides: |
| suppressing capabilities of the Hoodia Gordoni plant, | | | | * a reduced interest in eating * the ability to feel "full" |
| and have used the stem to ward off the great hunger | | | | much quicker than before * a much greater period |
| they would feel during hunting excursions across the | | | | between meals |
| desert. | | | | Hoodia does not cause the common side effects of |
| It is widely held that these indigenous people have | | | | most diet supplements, including the "stimulant effect", |
| used the plant for over tweny five thousand years. | | | | which can consist of nausea, jitteriness, and headache. |
| Andries Steenkamp, a spokesman for the indigenous | | | | |