A Quick Introduction To Hoodia

Thanks to coverage from popular TV programs like Oprah Winfrey, and CBS' 60 minutes, hoodia gordonii has become a wildly popular weight loss supplement. But, as popular as it is, people unfamiliar with the product still question the claims of its amazing effectiveness. And rightfully so.

So, what is this hoodia thing?

Hoodia gordonii is one of many varieties of cacti that grow in the sands of Kalahari Desert in South Africa . Research on the hoodia gordonii began in the mid 1990's when the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) began investigating foods eaten by people in that region. What the CSIR found was that the hoodia gordonii variation had an immensely powerful appetite suppressant quality. While studying laboratory animals who ingested hoodia gordonii, scientists discovered that not only were the animals not eating for long periods of time, but that they were subsequently losing weight without any affects to their heard, liver, or blood pressure.

The secret is p57

Through the years the marketplace has seen numerous diet fads come and go. Thanks to its effectiveness as a weight loss supplement, hoodia gordonii has quickly risen to the top of the multi-billion weight loss empire. As more and more people continue to discover the amazing benefits of using hoodia gordonii, it doesn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.

The backbone of hoodia's effectiveness is the p57 molecule identified by the CSIR. Found only in the hoodia gordonii variety of plant, pP57 was identified by researchers as holding the key to hoodia's appetite suppressing abilities. Since the discovery, CSIR sold their interest in p57 to European pharmaceutical giant Phytopharm.

Hoodia in the marketplace

Naturally one might question how so many hoodia products make it to the store shelves when only one company owns the rights to the p57 molecule that gives hoodia its ability.

The truth is that while Phytopharm can hold the rights to the patented p57 molecule, they cannot hold exclusive rights to a natural growing plant. Therefore, any company licensed by the South African government to harvest or export hoodia can do so without having to pay Phytopharm or infringing on their ownership rights. Often, companies grind the entire hoodia gordonii plant into a powder that is used in making their products. Only Phytopharm can go through the process of extracting the specific p57 molecule from hoodia gordonii for use in its weight loss products.