Obesity has become an epidemic – one could even say pandemic – with statistics from countries all around the globe stating that the greatest health hazard their citizens face is obesity. In 2003, BBC sent its news correspondent Tom Mangold to document information on hoodia gordonii, a succulent plant growing in the Kalahari Desert and reputed to be an appetite suppressant. This BBC report caught the attention of the world and it is still referred to today. It made the world aware of hoodia gordonii and provided information about this rare and unknown plant.
We learnt that hoodia gordonii grows only in Southern Africa. That the local San tribes have used it for centuries to suppress their appetites when food resources were low. That the South African scientists working with British company, Phytopharm studied it and isolated its active ingredient, P57, which causes appetite suppression. That P57 fools the brain into thinking you are full when you haven’t eaten at all. That they had begun clinical trials on pure hoodia gordonii. That hoodia gordonii was able to cut down one’s appetite by around 1,000 calories a day. That it showed no discernible side effects.
Tom Mangold went so far as to try the plant himself and reported that it was almost 24 hours before he really felt like eating again – and no side effects either, just a general feeling of well being, 6 years ago, the clinical trials were still going on, and BBC ended with the warning that Hoodia was already being sold in the US, even though the plant was rare and illegal to export, and testing of a few Hoodia brands had revealed that a number were selling fake Hoodia. There are several species of Hoodia growing all over Africa, but it is only hoodia gordonii growing in Southern Africa that contains the molecule P57 – only hoodia gordonii suppresses appetite.
Today, the situation is far worse – the clinical trials are nearly over, manufacturers happily quote Phytopharm’s results as if they were their own and Hoodia products have indeed flooded markets everywhere, in every conceivable form – pills, capsules, meals plans, shakes and even sweets and lollipops.
How do you distinguish the real from the counterfeit? Here are a few pointers.
Hoodia gordonii is a rare plant and an endangered species – any manufacturer selling it should have a CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) certificate proving that it has been imported legally from South Africa and is authentic.
The hoodia gordonii in the product should have been tested thoroughly by a reputable laboratory (e.g. Alkemist Pharmaceuticals), using chemical analysis to prove the presence of 100% real hoodia gordonii.
Check the price – having been imported from South Africa and then going through tests for certification is expensive. If the Hoodia product is cheap, there is reason to be suspicious of its authenticity.
The capsules (apart from their gelatin bodies) should contain only hoodia gordonii. Check that no other ingredients have been added. Check out UniqueHoodia – a company that displays all of the above.