| History
of Hoodia Gordonii: Used
to stop hunger, quench thirst, and provide energy to the San people of Southwestern
Africa, Hoodia Gordonii was first discovered by tribesmen thousands of years ago.
The San used the plant when they went hunting in the harsh desert environment
to help prolong their trips and suppress hunger. It wasn't until 1937 that a Dutch
anthropologist studying their customs discovered this secret. Amazingly,
Hoodia sat on a lab shelf for almost thirty years after it's initial discovery.
South African scientists at Council for Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR)
eventually began studying the plant and discovered that lab animals lost weight
and suffered no ill effects when fed Hoodia. It was during these tests that CSIR
researchers discovered the plant contained a previously unknown molecule, called
P57. CSIR, which patented the compound in 1997, sold the license to a Cambridgeshire,
England biopharmaceutical company by the name of Phytopharm PLC, which in 1998,
subleased it and the marketing rights to U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Corporation
for $32 million plus royalties from future sales. Since
then, Pfizer has pulled out from the deal since P57 could not be made in a lab
synthetically. Currently, you can buy hoodia gordonii from numerous companies
that have no affiliation with Phytopharm, although they still hold the patent.
As long there are no references to P57 and it's not sold for weight loss applications
exclusively, they appear to be clear of this patent. How
Hoodia Gordonii Works: It is believed that
Hoodia (and more specifically the P57 in Hoodia) imitates the effect glucose (sugar)
has on nerve cells in the brain. Basically, hoodia fools the brain into thinking
it's full when it's not. So, your brain sends the signal that it doesn't need
food and this reduces your urge to eat. Hoodia
Gordonii Clinical Studies: In 2001 Phytopharm
completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study in overweight, but
otherwise healthy volunteers using the P57 extract from Hoodia Gordonii. The participants
were split into two groups, one group received the P57 and the other received
a placebo. Both groups were told to continue normal diet and exercise. The results
were as follows: When comparing the P57 group
to the Placebo group: - The P57 group
had a statistically significant reduction in body fat
- The
P57 group had a statistically significant reduction in caloric intake
- The
P57 had no adverse side effects
On average
the P57 group ate about 1,000 calories a day less than those in the control group.
To put that in perspective, the average American man consumes about 2,600 calories
a day; a woman about 1,900.
Complete
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