Cactus Hoodia The Hoodia plant, although looks like a cactus, actually is not a cactus but it comes from the succulent plant family. This plant is spiny like a cactus and has around 15 to 20 different species. The Hoodia Gordonii plant from the South African Kalahri Desert is the only species found to contain a specific molecule that suppresses the appetite.
The Hoodia plant can be grown in a garden but it is quite difficult to grow as it does need hot conditions. The plant takes more than five years to mature and then it will produce pale purple blooms. Although an attractive plant, it does produce a rather awful smell. The plant tastes quite bitter but it hasn’t stopped the South African Bushmen from using it for thousands of years.
The Bushmen used the Hoodia plant when going on long hunting trips to suppress their hunger so that they wouldn’t have to carry too much food or go home early due to hunger. The plant seemed to work very well as an appetite suppressant and seemed to have no side effects. It wasn’t until the 1960’s that researchers and scientists began to do some work with the Hoodia plant and it took them 30 years to find the one molecule that gives the plant the appetite suppressing ability. This molecule is only found in the Hoodia Gordonii plant species grown in the Kalahari Dessert.
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The South African government isolated the molecule and received a patent on the extraction method. They then sold the license to the Phytopharm Company from England who had worked with the South African scientists to isolate and name the molecule. The Phytopharm Company has spent several millions of dollars to test, run clinical trials, and experiment with the Hoodia gordonii plant from the Kalahari Desert.
The South African government has placed the Hoodia gordonii plant under a restricted export law. You may only buy the Hoodia gordonii with the p57 extract if you have a license to export from the South African government. All products should have a CITES certificate verifying it came from the Kalahari Desert of South Africa. The consumer should be aware of fake certificates. The product should also have an independent lab report verifying it is 100 percent Hoodia and from South Africa. The lab report number should be on the package and on the bottle and the dates should agree. The date should not be over six months old.
There are fake Hoodia products on the market so it is important to make sure that when you purchase Hoodia it is from a legitimate seller with a CITES certificate to ensure that the product is the real Hoodia product.
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