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Belonging to a flowering plant family, Apocynaceae, Hoodia is one of the 13 species in the family. Often it is mistaken for a cactus because it looks like a cactus but actually it is a stem succulent. It reaches to a meter in height and has large flowers. Its flower has a tan color and has strong smell. They are naturally found in the Namib Desert of Africa spread across the Central Namibia to the southern Angola. Hoodia gordonii, one of the 13 species of Hoodia has been investigated for its use by local inhabitants as an appetite suppressant. Since then Hoodia oodia has been marketed extensively as a weight loss product across the world. The originators of this knowledge are the San Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert. The plant is harvested after it begins to flower which takes five years. The San Bushmen have been using the plant for centuries for various purposes such as indigestion and for the treatment of small infections besides being taken for long hunting trips as an appetite suppressant. 

The use of Hoodia gordonii by San Bushmen was noted by a Dutch anthropologist. The South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) commenced studies on the plant in 1977. It was successful in isolating a steroidal glycoside, the principal ingredient responsible for suppressing appetite. This ingredient was named P57. The patent for this discovery was obtained in 1996. CSIR formally recognized the San Bushmen as the originators of the knowledge only in 2002 when this non-recognition issue was raised. This made the San people eligible for getting a share in the royalties from the sales of Hoodia and any other products based on this knowledge. In 1995 Phytopharm received the license for P57 from CSIR. The company spent about $20 million for carrying out research on hoodia. P57 was sub-licensed In 1998 Phytopharm sub-licensed the rights to Pfizer for $21 million but returned the rights back to Phytopharm who is collaborating with Unilever.

Hoodia created a sensation when BBC reported on it in 2003 followed by 60 Minutes in 2004. Many products claiming to be Hoodia products began to be marketed. They are marketed in different forms such as capsules, tablets, liquid tinctures, coffee and infusions, syrups, protein shakes and even diet fruit bars. There are products such as Hoodia Supreme who claims pure Hoodia as its ingredient. 74

Recognizing that Hoodia is threatened because of the indiscriminate trade from Africa, CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) listed it under its Appendix II identifying it as a plant that should be brought under strict regulation. This certification also is proof of its genuineness.

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Losing weight painlessly and easily is something every over weight person dreams of. People are on the look out for any natural products that can suppress appetite or simply burn away excess fat. Hoodia gordonii has become popular worldwide as a weight lose herb. It is considered as an appetite suppressant dietary supplement.

The cultural and religious life of the African people abounds in traditional remedies. For instance, over 156 medicinal plant species are reported to be used in gynecological complaints. When corporations or other commercial initiatives takes freely the traditional knowledge without the consent of the owners of the knowledge and commercializes them into a product, it is called ‘biopiracy’. The South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) developed and subsequently patented Hoodia. CSIR sold the exclusive right to a British Company. After the issue of biopiracy was raised, a small percentage of the royalties was transferred to the trust on behalf of the San people. There is a proliferation of Hoodia products in the market such as Hoodia Pure, Dex L10 Hoodia , HoodiThin Liquid and many more.

The indigenous peoples inhabit a habitat for generations and centuries interacting intensely with nature. They depend on nature for their livelihood as well for survival that they revere nature as the provider of life. From these interactions and observations, they learn about the characteristics of various species and possible uses. These are then verified through repeated experimentation or from repeated similar experiences. This knowledge is then transmitted onward to the next generation. The knowledge covers all aspects of life and living including crops, food, human and animal health and even beauty care.

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A very important health hazard that the world faces today is from obesity and overweight. The overweight population is prone to a variety of health problems such as cholesterol, heart problems, diabetes and high blood pressure. High calorie intake combined with low physical activity is considered as the most common cause of obesity. Obesity and overweight are most common in the rich countries of the world as well as the affluent class in the developing world. It is seen that the poorer sections in the affluent countries too are afflicted with this condition. This fact, amongst others, indicates that the problem is actually a lifestyle problem. The low physical activity and the kind of food that are consumed together cause the problem.

The food that is available and consumed in urban areas have undergone rapid change. Processed food has come to replace fresh food. They have become associated with the urban lifestyle. Processed food is moreover in tune with the busy urban life. Some of them are ready to eat while others need very little preparation. The processed food is cheaper, available and easily accessible. They have also come to be called junk food or fast food. Generally, they are rich in sugar and fat, and also contain additives. While the affluent sections in richer countries eat both high calorie food as well as processed food, the poorer sections consume more of the processed food which is low in nutrition but high in calories. The affluent in the poorer countries also consumes high calorie food as also increasingly the processed food. Combined with sedentary life style precipitates accumulation of fat. Obesity, however, is also known to be caused by eating and genetic disorder.

Increasing number of obese population has also led to the expanding market for weight loss program. The market is abuzz with newer and newer products and programs guaranteeing effective weight loss. But all this can be quite confusing to someone on the look out for effective weight loss program. It will help if you are able to assess the cause of your problem, may be from a specialist, and about the weight loss products and programs. The World Wide Web is indeed a major source for information. There are many books that give you information both on the weight loss programs as well as on the problems of obesity as Lose Your Belly Fat, GI Diet and HCG Diet Guide.

But in the long term it is necessary to make changes to the lifestyle. People are becoming more health conscious. Already the market for organically cultivated food is increasing. The ill effects of fast food are well known. Consumer tastes are swinging towards more nutritious food.

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Hoodia gordonii is an herb found in the Kalahari Desert. Though reported to be used by the San Bushmen of Southern Africa for a variety of uses as a medicinal plant, its use as an appetite suppressant became popular in recent years. Hoodia is able to make you feel that you are not hungry by imitating the effect of glucose on the nerve cells in the brain. It makes you feel that you are full. You lose your urge to eat. In fact, the hoodia effect is much more powerful than glucose. The San Bushmen removes the stem of hoodia, the flowers, roots and spines, and peel away the outer skin before consuming hoodia when they went for a hunt which last for about a week. This is to stifle the urge to eat and drink.

The national research laboratory of South Africa, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), was able to identify the bioactive compound. They isolated the compound along with the scientists of Phytopharm, a British firm. They called the molecule p57. Further studies and clinical trial confirmed its appetite suppressing feature, something that the San Bushmen knew and used for generations. These studies also reported that there were no side effects. This corroborated also with the fact that the Bushmen have been using hoodia for thousands of years without any problems. Obesity is a rapidly increasing problem in many countries with a higher standard of affluence. Lifestyle and food practices were the major causes for obesity. The market for products for tackling the looming obesity problem is very large. Hoodia seemed to be just the right thing for the problem. Interest in p57 suddenly skyrocketed.

Hoodia gordonii began to be marketed in capsule and liquid form. It is also marketed in combination with Green Tea extract that contains naturally occurring caffeine, chromium, Niacin as Nicotinic Acid, and Cocoa extract as tru hoodia complex. But the problem was that hoodia gordonii with p57 was found only in Southern Africa, and that too in the wild. This will not meet the growing market demand. Besides, the cost will be prohibitive and increase as its availability diminishes.

The attempts to synthetically produce p57 in the lab failed. With this, there was no other option but to rely on collection from the wild or at best attempt to cultivate them. Hoodia soon became a threatened species that CITES listed it as a plant whose trade has to be restricted and controlled.  

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Hoodia gordonii is a flowering plant that belongs to the family Apocynaceae. It is a plant that reaches up to 1 meter in height. It has large purple or tan color flowers with strong smell. It is also called locally xhooba, Ghaap and khoba. It is also known as ‘Queen of the Namib’ and ‘Bushman’s Hat’. Hoodia is found naturally in Southern Africa in the semi-deserts of the countries of Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Angloa. It is particular to the Namib Desert. 

The San Bushmen, the indigenous people of the Kalahari Desert, have known about this plant for ages. They have been consuming this for various purposes. When they go for a hunt that will take them days, they suppress their hunger by eating the stem of hoodia plants. They are known to use the plant to treat such diseases as severe abdominal cramps, hemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, hypertension and diabetes. About twenty sub-species of hoodia plant are known to exist. Not all of them suppress appetite. It is the hoodia gordonii that has this quality. It takes about five years for the plant to mature and flower.

The fact that the San Bushmen used hoodia was first noted and reported to the outside world by a Dutch anthropologist in 1937. A scientific examination of the plant of its reported benefits however commenced only in 1963 when the national laboratory of South Africa, CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) began to study the plant. Along with the scientists of a British company, Phytopharm, they isolated the active ingredient of hoodia. This ingredient, a steroidal glycoside, was named p57. It soon began to be commercially exploited and sold worldwide through the health food stores. Sold in the capsule and liquid form, much has been written about it in h57 hoodia reviews . Hoodia is marketed as an appetite killer for those who wish to lose weight and control obesity.  Hoodia is found to send signals to the brain than makes you feel that you are full.

Hoodia became instantly popular world wide. The market for the hoodia products boomed. The result was rapid lose of hoodia from its natural habitat. This led Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to include hoodia in Appendix II which meant that hoodia will have to be declared as an endangered species if its extraction from nature was not immediately restricted. In fact, in 2008 the Botanic Gardens Conservation International listed also declared that the plant faced extinction due to indiscriminate exploitation. The government soon took to farming in government controlled farms in the Kalahari Desert. This regulation also subsequently led to the San Bushmen, the originators and holders of the knowledge, to receive a share in the royalty from the sales.

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