The Guide to Hoodia Cactus Plant Extract

By now you have probably heard something about “Hoodia cactus plant extract”. The media has publicized it by doing reports on its effects. The BBC, CBS, and “The Today Show” among others have featured stories about this unusual plant extract.

This media attention has made the line of Hoodia Gordonii items rise to the top of today’s dietary supplement market.

There are, however, some things you should be mindful of when you are selecting which Hoodia product to buy. Although there are several varieties of Hoodia plants, the Hoodia Gordonii alone is known for the ability to suppress a person’s appetite.

The effects of Hoodia have been known for centuries by the’Sans Bushmen’, a primitive tribe. A study of the native plants that this tribe consumes was conducted by the C.S.I.R. (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) during the mid-1990’s.

The study’s ultimate goal was to find which foods the Bushmen were eating were not poisonous. Hoodia Gordonii was found to be non-toxic, as well as being helpful for appetite suppression in laboratory animals.

The ingredient responsible for appetite suppression was isolated and dubbed ‘P57′ or the ‘Hoodia cactus extract’. The C.S.I.R. then sold the rights of ‘P57′ to Phytopharm, a British pharmaceutical company.

Now, you may wonder why there are such a variety of Hoodia products available on the market if the rights of ‘P57′ were sold to Phytopharm. To find the answer, we must look to the patent laws. Phytopharm is the only entity that is permitted to extract ‘P57′ from Hoodia Gordonii and utilize it in their products. But the whole Hoodia Gordonii plant itself is not something that can be patented. Therefore, other companies may legally make and sell supplements using the Hoodia Gordonii plant.

For consumers who may be considering trying Hoodia, it is vital to make sure that you are purchasing a product that contains genuine South African Hoodia Gordonii.