Hoodia

Hoodia comes from a South African plant and is also called Kalahari cactus and Xhoba. The San indigenous people (Bushmen) live in an area that cuts across Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. They have long believed that this plant acts as an appetite suppressant. They would use it to reduce their hunger and thirst during long hunts.

It is marketed as a diet pill for weight loss to help curb cravings. Hoodia gordonii extract from the plant's roots is made into powders, capsules, and chewable tablets. They often contain other herbal supplements such as green tea or chromium picolinate.

Some research has shown that a chemical classified as a steroidal glycoside has been isolated from Hoodia gordonii and causes decreased appetite in animals. It is termed P57AS3, or just P57. It likely acts on the central nervous system by increasing ATP in the hypothalamus.

In obese diabetic rats given hoodia for up to eight weeks, diabetes was reversed during those eight weeks.

Despite all of this, there is no reliable scientific evidence on its use as diet pills for weight loss, and there are only some preliminary data on humans. On the same token, little is know about its side effects. Therefore, it cannot be advised as a weight loss aid at this time. This supplement supposedly does not have the stimulant side effects of other appetite suppressants.

Interestingly, in 2003, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) reached an agreement with the San people to share any royalties on products derived from the plant. This agreement is unique in that it grants intellectual property rights for traditional knowledge rather than a patent.

In 1997, the CSIR approached Phytopharm, a company that develops drug from plants, to collaborate in the development of the active ingredient. Phytopharm has a licensing agreement with Pfizer to further market P57.

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