The Oldest Diet Program Is Still In Use Today – Hoodia Gordonii

The San Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert have understood and used Hoodia Gordonii as an appetite suppressant for thousands of years. While on long journeys through the desert tracking antelope the San Bushmen hunt these animals to the point of exhaustion. Hoodia has a quality that suppresses the thirst and hunger that has been taken advantage of during these extended trips. Hoodia is a plant that looks like a cactus but is a succulent and grows naturally in the semi-desert of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Angola. It takes five years for its pale purple flowers to appear and be ready to harvest.

There are thirteen varieties of Hoodia. But, Hoodia Gordonii is the only variety that contains steroidal glycoside, p57 that is believed to be the molecule with the appetite suppressing qualities. Phytopharm, a British pharmaceutical company, began to research the effects of Hoodia beginning in 1995. They have spent over twenty million dollars on research. They are the ones who isolated and patented the p57 molecule. In 1998 Phytopharm negotiated with Pfizer for twenty-one million dollars for Pfizer to develop p57. Since that time Pfizer returned the rights to Hoodia back to Phytopharm and Unilever is current working with them to develop Hoodia.

Global attention to the benefits of Hoodia was captured when Leslie Stahl of 60 Minutes visited Africa. She went into the desert with the San Bushmen to locate a Hoodia plant. When they found a plant Ms. Stahl proceeded to eat it. She reported that it has the texture of a cucumber and did not taste bad. She reported no side effects and had no desire to drink or eat for an entire day.

When ephedra was banned from the market it left an opening for the next, best weight loss drug. More and more it looks like Hoodia could fill the void left by ephedra. One of the most popular diet pills, Trimspa, contains Hoodia. You can also find Hoodia in tea, powder, liquid or capsule forms in health food stores and on the Internet.

There have been limited studies but the ones that have been done have demonstrated that p57 may have an effect on hunger. There have been studies on rats and eighteen human subjects. Phytopharm claims that the human subjects who were given Hoodia consumed, on average, one thousand fewer calories a day. No study on the effects of Hoodia has ever been published.

Remember, there is no miracle diet pill or slimming pills that will just melt your weight off. While they are great aids in helping you lose weight if you use them properly. Also remember that Hoodia will only suppress your appetite. If you have overeating issues or a bad diet it will not help to correct those issues. Also, if you eat when you aren’t hungry Hoodia will not even help you at all.

You really need to build muscles, burn fat and increase your metabolism to lose weight. Hoodia does not do any of these. Therefore, Hoodia will only help if you incorporate it into a sound weight loss program that includes exercise and a sensible diet.