Product Review

The use of Hoodia gordonii has long been known by the indigenous peoples of Southern Africa, who infrequently use these plants for treating indigestion and small infections. But it is their centuries-old use of the meat of the plant to suppress appetite on long hunting trips in the Kalahari Desert that has stimulated the most interest. In 1977, the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) isolated the ingredient in hoodia now known as P57, which is responsible for its appetite-suppressant effect, and patented it in 1996. The CSIR then granted United Kingdom-based Phytopharm a license, and they collaborated with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer to isolate active ingredients from the extracts and look into synthesizing them for use as an appetite suppressant. Hoodia gordonii is a protected plant which may only be wild-harvested by individuals and the few companies who have been granted a license.