Hoodia Gordonii: The All-Natural Appetite Suppressant
It is difficult to trace out exactly since when the tribes of the Kalahari
Desert in South Africa have been using the stem of the Hoodia Gordonii plant to
ward off their hunger. Hoodia grows wild in Africa. A Dutch anthropologist was
the first European to describe the plant. In 1937, he was studying the habits of
nomadic hunters and noted that they often ate the plant when food and water were
scarce. He mentioned that the Hoodia Gordonii plant was not particularly tasty,
but it had the desirable effect of reducing appetite and thirst and thereby can
be produced an effective drug to reduce weight.
The Secret Is Unfolded!
It was not until 1963 that an organized study of Hoodia Gordonii was performed.
Scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa
reported that laboratory animals which were fed on the Hoodia plant lost weight.
Sometime in the 1990's the scientists in South Africa were able to attract the
interest of a British pharmaceutical company, Phytopharm. Eventually, through a
joint effort, they were able to isolate and identify the active molecule in
Hoodia Gordonii and named it 'p57'. In 1995, Phytopharm licensed and patented
'p57'. Phytopharm reportedly spent more than $20 million dollars researching the
effects of the 'p57' molecule found in the Hoodia Gordonii plant before they
sub-licensed the rights to Pfizer in 1998. One of the major production problems
is the limited availability of Hoodia Gordonii. The Gordonii plant requires
extremely high temperatures to flourish and it takes four to five years to
mature. Phytopharm is now working with Uni-lever and has established Hoodia
Gordonii plantations in South Africa.
Experts make the following recommendations for overweight people interested in
trying Gordonii supplements. The length of time to experience the appetite
suppressing effects may occur quickly, even following the first dose, but some
people do not notice a significant difference until after taking the supplement
for several weeks. In addition, the recommended dosage may need to be adjusted
up or down depending on the individual. There are no adverse side effects
associated with Hoodia Gordonii.
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