Hoodia Gordonii: A Brief History

Hoodia gordonii has been one of the most famous and widely-known medicinal plants in the African region. It is a leafless spiny succulent plant—a close relative of common cactuses. Succulent plants, also known as succulents or fat plants are water-retaining plants adapted to dry climate or soil conditions. This plant grows naturally in Namibia and South Africa. Its flowers have a smell similar to a rotten meat, thus, pollination of these plants are mainly by flies as most other insects that help in pollination are put off by the plant’s putrid smell. The smell also functions as the plant’s defense system against animal and insect attacks.

It is currently gaining fame for its appetite suppressing function. Though there have been challenges in perfecting the process, this has never stopped pharmaceutical companies in developing processes which will enable the active ingredients to pass thru the brain (specifically, the hypothalamus) so it can work its appetite suppressing function. The difficulty was mainly because the liver breaks down the active ingredients and will not be able to go thru the bloodstream and will not reach the brain. Though the broken down particles are still beneficial to one’s health, the main function and purpose of the supplement was never achieved.

In 1977, the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) was able to isolate the ingredient which is responsible for the suppressing one’s appetite. This active ingredient is now called P57. This was patented 19 years after. The following years, CSIR granted Phytopharm (a United Kingdom based company) a license to harvest hoodia gordonii from the country. The plant, is one of the species of plants that are threatened with extinction. Thus, the reason for the regulation of wild-harvesting the plan in the country.

This plant is listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) as an endangered plant species and is illegal to be exported from Africa without a CITES certificate being issued by proper authorities.

Phytopharm then collaborated with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer in working to isolate the active ingredient for the extracts and to produce the ingredient synthetically for use as an appetite suppressant. In the year 2002, Pfizer then released the rights to the primary ingredient.

Currently, the active ingredient is readily available to other pharmaceutical companies that produce food supplements and appetite suppressants. And there have been many who have benefited from the effects given by the active ingredient derived from hoodia gordonii. These food supplements were used as an aid in their current weight loss plan to optimize their diet and even complement their weight loss exercise plans. The supplement is now available in different forms such as capsules, tables, powders, tea, coffee, liquid tinctures and even in bars.