The Hype Around Hoodia

Imagine a plant that suppresses your appetite, and has no know side effects. That’s the hype around Hoodia gordonii, a cactus that grows Deep inside the African Kalahari desert. This mysterious plant thrives in extremely high temperatures, and takes years to mature. The San Bushmen of the Kalahari, have know about this secret plant for centuries. One of the oldest tribes in Africa, the San Bushmen utilize the Hoodia plant to ward off starvation. The molecule P 57 which causes appetite suppression, was accidentally stumbled upon by South African scientists doing routine research testing. Currently, the development and marketing rights to P 57 belong to the giant Pfizer Corporation. Hoodia is entirely natural, it is not a drug by any means. Hoodia’s P 57 tricks the brain into thinking you’ve eaten, and makes you feel full. Current research and development is aiming to isolate the appetite suppressing molecule, P57, to create a patented diet drug in the future.

In a BBC interview, Phytopharm’s Dr. Richard Dixey explained how P57 works:
There is a part of your brain, the hypothalamus. Within that mid-brain there are nerve cells that sense glucose sugar. When you eat, blood sugar goes up because of the food, these cells start firing and now you are full. What the Hoodia seems to contain is a molecule that is about 10,000 times as active as glucose. It goes to the mid-brain and actually makes those nerve cells fire as if you were full. But you have not eaten. Nor do you want to.

Don’t be fooled though by the vast development of diet pills claiming to contain Hoodia. Prescription drugs containing Hoodia or its synthetic P57 derivative are years away from being on the market. But natural Hoodia supplements are currently available. Only the gordonii variation of Hoodia has appetite suppressant abilities. Carefully read all dietary and nutrition labels to verify the authenticity of the product. You need to take a supplement that actually contains the plant, Hoodia Slim from Paradise Herbs and Canadian-based MHSCI are two such reputable brands that are recommended and meet the above criteria. Hoodia. Furthermore, Hoodia may work right away, or may take several weeks.

The initial discovery of the magnificent Hoodia plant by outside cultures cause great anxiety by the San Bushmen, whom have been using Hoodia to cure many ailments such as hangovers, headaches, and stomachaches. The Hoodia plant was a staple of their diet, a a delicacy handed down from generation to generation. The ownership rights to the plant generated great anxiety among tribe members, who felt robbed of a central part of their cultural identity. After long deliberations and negotiations, the San Bushmen were able to establish a great victory for their tribe. If the clinical trials for Hoodia work, the 100,000 San strung along the edge of the Kalahari will become overnight millionaires on royalties negotiated by their South African lawyer Roger Chennells.