What you need to know about hoodia gordonii. Hoodia gordonii (pronounced HOO-dee-ah) is also called hoodia, xhooba,  !khoba, Ghaap, hoodia cactus, and South

African desert cactus.

Hoodia is a cactus that’s causing a stir for its ability to suppress appetite  and promote weight loss. 60 Minutes, ABC, and the BBC have all done stories on

hoodia. Hoodia is sold in capsule, liquid, or tea form in health food stores and  on the Internet. Hoodia gordonii can be found in the semi-deserts of South

Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola. Hoodia grows in clumps of green upright  stems and is actually a succulent, not a cactus. It takes about 5 years

before  hoodia’s pale purple flowers appear and the cactus can be harvested. Although  there are 20 types of hoodia, only the hoodia gordonii variety is

believed to  contain the natural appetite suppressant.

Although hoodia was “discovered” relatively recently, the San Bushmen of the  Kalahari desert have been eating it for a very long time. The Bushmen, who live

off the land, would cut off part of the hoodia stem and eat it to ward off  hunger and thirst during nomadic hunting trips. They also used hoodia for severe

abdominal cramps, haemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, hypertension and  diabetes.

In 1937, a Dutch anthropologist studying the San Bushmen noted that they used  hoodia to suppress appetite. But it wasn’t until 1963 when scientists at the 

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa’s national  laboratory, began studying hoodia. Initial results were promising — lab

animals  lost weight after taking hoodia.

The South African scientists, working with a British company named  Phytopharm, isolated the active ingredient in hoodia, a steroidal glycoside,  which they

named p57. After getting a patent in 1995, they licensed p57 to  Phytopharm. Phytopharm has spent more than $20 million on hoodia research.

Eventually pharmaceutical giant Pfizer (makers of Viagra) caught wind of  hoodia and became interested in developing a hoodia drug. In 1998, Phytopharm 

sub-licensed the rights to develop p57 to Pfizer for $21 million. Pfizer  recently returned the rights to hoodia to Phytopharm, who is now working with 

Unilever.

What you need to know about hoodiaHoodia appears to suppress appetiteMuch of the buzz about hoodia  started after 60 minutes correspondent Leslie Stahl and

crew traveled to Africa  to try hoodia. They hired a local Bushman to go with them into the desert and  track down some hoodia. Stahl ate it, describing it

as “cucumbery in texture,  but not bad.” She lost the desire to eat or drink the entire day. She also  didn’t experience any immediate side effects, such as

indigestion or heart  palpitations. Stahl concluded, “I’d have to say it did work.”

In animal studies, hoodia is believed to reduce caloric intake by 30 to 50  percent. There is one human study showing a reduced intake of about 1000 

calories per day. However, I haven’t been able to find either study to actually  read for myself and am going on secondhand reports.

Tags: Hoodia, Loss, Review, Weight, Work