The History of Hoodia

For the last 25,000 years, the indigenous people ofshy away from liquid hoodia products. Not only do
the Kalahari desert region have been using Hoodiathey work faster than pills, they actually taste very
Gordonii as an appetite suppressant.good.
Its main function was to quell the thirst and hungerHoodia's appetite suppressant properties were only
that would affect warriors during long hunting trips.discovered about thirty years ago when certain
These warriors even fed their dogs slices of thespecies were included in a scientific research project
plant to keep them from having interest in their foodestablished by the South African Council.
supplies. To this day these African natives still chewThe council was looking for indigenous plants that
the leaves of the plant to stave off starvation andcould be a source of food. Among the plants
exhaustion.screened were Hoodia and experiments on animals
The plant was also of some assistance during periodsconfirmed the plant's ability to cause weight loss
of famine when groups of 100 or so people suddenlywithout side effects.
found themselves on the move without much foodShortly after this study it was licensed to the drug
or water.company Phytopharm that has spent over $20 million
Two to three slices of the plant of the day weredollars to conduct clinical trials of the plant. The
enough to stave of starvation.subjects given hoodia ate a thousand calories less a
The plant itself is native to the Kalahari Desert and itday then the usual 2,600 calories a day for males and
was readily abundant in rocky and sandy areas in1,900 calories for women.
Botswana, Namibia, Angola and other areas of SouthThe giant pharmaceutical company Pfizer, which had
Africa. As a matter of interest, the hoodia plant looksteamed up with Phytopharm, and funded much of
like a cactus even though botanically it is not a cactusthe research abandoned the venture when making a
and often marketed as one.pill out of the active ingredient seemed to costly to
Even today the plant is still used as an appetitedevelop.
suppressant during times of famine. The Anikhwe ofFor now it is sold in weight loss formulations, usually
northern Botswana feed children who are hungryaccompanied by green tea extract to accelerate the
pieces of hoodia during times of famine to conserveweight loss results even more.
food.Hoodia gordonii is very rare and is protected by
However many children have died from consumingnational conservation laws in South Africa and
hoodia after three months of making this the mainNamibia. It can only be collected or grown with a
part of their diet. Keep this in mind in case you havepermit. This is why it is so expensive to purchase
any misconceptions about hoodia being a long termpure hoodia.
substitute for food. Although hoodia will decreaseWhen comparing products, remember that if a
your appetite you must still eat food. This is whereproduct is much lower in price than others, it more
your nutrition will come from. Hoodia is safe as longthen likely has been cut with green tea or caffeine.
as you do not make this your only food supply.Always look just at the content of the hoodia, not all
The taste of the plant is actually very acrid and canthe ingredients combined, then match products.
be compared to a very dry bitter cucumber. This isWhen comparing liquid hoodia products, always look
why it is sold in North American and Europeanfor a 20:1 ratio. This ratio will give you the most for
countries in capsule form rather than as a foodyour money. You will sometimes see a 10:1 ratio and
substance in dried form. The liquid versons of hoodiaalthough it sounds like it would be stronger, it in fact
do have flavorings added to disguise the taste. Don'tis not.