News and Information on the Hoodia Gordonii Plant and it's uses and benefits ...
"The hoodia plant in the Kalahari Desert could become the newest weapon in the war against obesity"
Comment from the CBS Report
Being in the UK, I was unable to actually see the program, but am basing my comments here on the review of the program on CBS News site.
I am also taking the opportunity to comment on some of the issues raised by the program which have been picked up by customers and users of Hoodia Gordonii based products.
" ... the only place in the world where hoodia grows wild is in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa."
Wrong ... Check Phytopharms own site to find out:
[Referring to the wild plant] "Hoodia gordonii is very rare and is protected by national conservation laws in South Africa and Namibia."
Further, in relation to 'CITES' (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora): "A proposal to include Hoodia on Appendix II has been submitted by the range states (South Africa, Namibia and Botswana)"
So Hoodia Gordonii grows wild in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.
The important thing to note though is that no company should be supplying products using these sources. It is illegal to harvest wild stocks of Hoodia.
How can you tell if a company is using illegal stocks? Generally they will be cheaper. This may sound good to you, the end user, but unfortunately not that good. There are several species of Hoodia. The one we are interested is the Gordonii. There have been many instances of 'mistaken identity', so in fact you may not be getting genuine Hoodia Gordonii with cheaper 'money-saving' products.
Also, by buying products made from illegally harvested wild stock, no royalties are going back to the tribespeople - so you are denying them the opportunity to benefit from a better future.
The easiest way to ensure that you are buying legitimate Hoodia Gordonii is to see a current CITES document. This is the export document required to export Hoodia from the countries that are growing it. No CITES document - do not buy.
The patent is on the active ingredient within the Hoodia Gordonii - which has been named P57.
Although you can patent an active ingredient within a plant, it is impossible to patent a whole plant.
Phytopharm intend to extract the P57 from the Hoodia Gordonii for use as an added ingredient in weight loss products.
Because of the patent, Hoodia Gordonii products are unable to actively advertise products as containing P57, or use terms such as extract or 20:1 (20:1 - it takes 20 kilos of fresh Hoodia Gordonii core to make 1 kilo of Hoodia Core powder).
You will no doubt have seen some companies using these terms - they are actually breaking the law under the terms of the patent.
So although they cannot advertise the fact, logic dictates that if they are using properly laboratory refined Hoodia Gordonii powder in their supplements, any active ingredients would still be present in the finished product.
"When we have assayed these materials,
they contain between 0.1 and 0.01 percent of the active ingredient
claimed."
As natural herbal supplements, they use the powdered form of the whole plant core.
The active molecule identified as P57 in the Hoodia Gordonii, is but one of the active molecules within the plant itself, and most probably only makes up the 0.1 percentage in nature.
Consider that this is what the tribespeople eat themselves to achieve the results you are after.
Copyright 2004 - All Rights Reserved
Related Articles:
Hoodia Gordonii is a plant native to
Southern Africa, being found most commonly in the Kalahari desert. It
is a member of the succulent family, and is extremely hard to cultivate,
taking years to mature. Recently, it has been discovered that Hoodia
Gordonii contains a very powerful molecule that works as an appetite
suppressant. This molecule is known as P57.
Read more: Hoodia
Gordonii - The Ancient Plant with the Healthy Future
In a society where the newest diet fad
is always coming along, claiming to be the only solution to an ever-increasing
obesity epidemic, it's often hard to distinguish the good from the unhealthy
- or from the stuff that just doesn't work. That's why Hoodia Gordonii
is such a new concept - it's been proven to work as an appetite suppressant,
it's completely natural, and it has absolutely no side effects.
Read more: What
is Hoodia Gordonii?
Obesity has now been recognized as a serious, chronic disease - a disease
that affects more people than any other, a disease that can cause serious
medical conditions and early death. But if you are overweight or obese
- and in the UK only one in three adults isn't - you will know that the
negative effects are often more subtle, beginning with social ostracism
including lesser chances to find friends or a partner, and more difficulties
to climb up the career ladder.
Read more: Hoodia
Gordonii and Obesity
Is it possible to trick your brain into
thinking that you aren't hungry?
According to numerous studies and the San Tribe of Southern Africa, the
answer is YES.
The San Tribe has been using Hoodia Gordonii for thousands of years to
fight the pangs of hunger and thirst as they scoured the Kalahari Desert
in search of food. But how can a simple plant make you think you are
full? How
Hoodia Gordonii Works
With the discovery of the molecule P57, found in Hoodia Gordonii, drug and food companies are scrambling to capitalize on its benefits. P-57 works as an amazing appetite suppressant by mimicking the effect glucose has on the brain and tricking your body into thinking it's full. Hoodia Gordonii P57 molecule
Products claiming to use 100% of the
Hoodia Gordonii plant; Products claiming that pure Hoodia Gordonii with
nothing else added is best; Claims about the Hoodia Purity and Concentrations;
How to check for Hoodia Gordonii authenticity
Read more: Warnings
about Hoodia Gordonii Diet Supplements and their Claims
What if you had to travel 500 miles to
get to the nearest grocery store and you had nothing to eat on the way?
How did they do it? Simple - the miracle plant known as Hoodia Gordonii.
These ancient people have utilized this plant for thousands of years
to stave off hunger and thirst. Hoodia Gordonii literally keeps you from
feeling hungry.
Read more: Hoodia
Gordonii Helps You Hunt and Lose Weight.