There has been a quite a hype about the Hoodia gordonii succulent from the Kalahari in South Africa ever since it appeared on CBS in a 60-minutes expose. Lesley Stahl, the CBS reporter that came over to the Kalahari to investigate the story of appetite suppressing Hoodia stated that she did not feel hungry at all for the whole day after eating a piece of the miracle plant.

The San people of the Kalahari have used Hoodia to keep hunger and thirst at bay for many centuries to aid them in long hunting trips through the harsh Kalahari Desert.

The discovery of Hoodia gordoniis weight loss properties was discovered by accident. In 1996 when the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) decided to do a study on what a local tribe, The San, ate. The CSIR took samples of the Sans diet and fed it to animals in their laboratories. In the case of Hoodia gordonii the animals showed no detrimental side effects only healthy weigh loss. It was concluded that Hoodia gordonii is non toxic and acts as a natural appetite suppressant. The bioactive compound was isolated in 1997. The CSIR named the active ingredient P57 because it was the 57th product that the CSIR had spent money on. The CSIR obtained a patent on P57 and licensed it to Pharmatron.

Pfizer, the developers of Viagra, have invested approximately $21 million dollars into the rights developing the active ingredient in Hoodia gordonii, namely P57. P57 mimics the effects of glucose and it is approximately 10 000 times as active as glucose. The active ingredient in Hoodia fools the brain into believing that it is full and that no more food is required. If Pfizer is trying to develop a diet pill based on Hoodia gordoniis active ingredient does that not prove that Hoodia diet pills are effective?

A study on the effects of Hoodia on morbidly obese people was conducted in Leicester, England. 40 people, all morbidly obese with an average caloric intake of over 2000 calories a day. where kept under strict observation where all they had to do was watch television, read and eat. The group was split in two, where one group received a placebo and the other received Hoodia gordonii for fourteen days. The group on the Hoodia had cut their caloric intake by 1000 calories by day fifteen while those on the placebo showed no significant caloric intake difference.

The study in Leicester England demonstrated and proved that Hoodia gordonii is an effective weight loss supplement.