Hoodia Balance
Hoodia Gordonii
This is a small, succulent plant that grows wild only in the semi-arid Kalahari Desert of South Africa. The San peoples, or Bushmen, who‘ve lived in that area for centuries, have traditionally eaten the plant to prevent hunger and thirst on long hunting trips. For generations, only the San people knew of Hoodia’s marvelous properties.
A joint press release was issued by the South African San Council, and the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa) in October 2004. Dr. Marthinus Horak, Bioprospecting Manager at the CSIR said, “The San’s knowledge has been tried and tested in the veld over thousands of years and is a precious source that has to be preserved for future generations. This agreement facilitates the linking of San knowledge and modern science in an endeavour to develop new products such as natural remedies.”
There are no known side effects. In fact, Tom Mangold, a BBC News correspondent, reported after eating Hoodia from the Kalahari Desert in May of 2003, “…The plant is said to have a feel-good, almost aphrodisiac quality, and I have to say we felt good, but more significantly, we did not even think about food.”
Hoodia Gordonii is one more of nature’s many gifts to people in need.
The Story of Hoodia Gordonii
Hoodia gordonii (pronounced HOO-dee-ah) is also called hoodia, xhooba, khoba, Ghaap, hoodia cactus, and South African desert cactus. It’s actually not a true cactus at all, but rather is a succulent with sharp spines, that resembles a cactus.
Hoodia is causing quite a stir for its ability to suppress appetite, thereby promoting weight loss. The CBS television news program, 60 Minutes, and the British network, BBC have already featured stories about Hoodia.
Hoodia Gordonii can only be found in the semi-arid deserts of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola. Hoodia grows in clumps of green upright stalks.
It takes about five years, or more, before Hoodia’s pale purple flowers appear. After that time the plant can be eaten. Although there are at least 40 known varieties of Hoodia, only the Gordonii species is believed to contain the natural appetite suppressant.
Modern scientists only recently discovered Hoodia, however the San peoples, or Bushmen, have been eating it for centuries. These indigenous people, who live off the land, traditionally cut off part of the stem and eat it to stave off hunger and thirst during their arduous hunting trips across the desert. They also eat it for various medical issues, but, to date, no modern research has been done on those uses.
In 1937, a Dutch anthropologist studying the San people 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 eating Hoodia Gordonii.
After 30 years of research, the South African scientists at CSIR isolated the active ingredient in Hoodia, and obtained a patent on the molecule in 1995. It is a steroidal glycoside, which they named P57. The South African government then licensed the patent to a British firm named Phytopharm.
Then, Phytopharm licensed the patent to American drug giant, Pfizer. The intent was to use the molecule, P57, as a base, to mass-create an artificial drug to meet the demands of millions of people. After three years of investigation, Pfizer pulled out of the deal, saying it would be too expensive to ever bring to market.
In December of 2004, Phytopharm licensed to Unilever, who has promised to bring this man-made drug to market.
It remains to be seen if a weight loss drug utilizing P57 will ever be realized.
In the meantime, while you wait and wait for the artificial product, Hoodia Gordonii Plus, a whole plant formula, is available right now. You can order this very minute, and become friends again with your reflection in a full-length mirror.
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