SCIENTIFIC NAME / SYNONYMS
Hoodia gordonii
Stapelia gordonii
Gonostemon gordonii
Monothylaceum gordonii
FAMILY
Svalerotfamilien (Asclepiadaceae).
BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
Plant genus Hoodia consists of approx. 20 species of succulents plants that grow in South Africa. They are similar, and are closely related to the flower Stapelia. Hoodia gordonii is the species that has become known as a medicinal plant. The plant usually consists of many strains. Each race has 12-14 longitudinal ribs with woody thorns that grows up to 1 cm long. The flowers are bowl-shaped, more or less round and have a brownish color. They smell like rotten meat, which attracts flies providing pollination. The plant contains a lot of brown seeds with silky hairs. Hoodia is often called a cactus, but this is wrong as the plant belongs to the succulents family and not the cactus family.
PREVALENCE
Hoodia gordonii grows in and around the Kalahari Desert in South Africa.
PLANT PARTS
The translucent part of the plant is used. The natives of Africa take a little bit of the plant, peel away the thorns and eat it fresh. In commercial preparations an extract of the plant is used. Hoodia preparations may be imported for private use, but since the species is covered by CITES (CITES is a global agreement that regulates cross-border trade in endangered species and products from endangered species), it must be for imports accompanied by a CITES permit to be presented to Customs. Without such a permit the item is seized.
INGREDIENTS
Hoodia contains a substance (a Pregnana-glycosidic) called P57, which mimics the glucose signal substance in the brain.
PROPERTIES AND EFFECT
Appetite suppressant, curbs hunger.
MAY BE USED FOR THE FOLLOWING THE HEALTH PROBLEMS / DISEASES
Obesity, allergic reactions in the eyes and stomach pains.
REVIEWS OF HOODIA
Hoodia gordonii has come under scrutiny in the West as a dietary supplement meant to be able to suppress hunger and thirst. On the internet, the herb is marketed as a “miracle cactus”, and should, according to the allegations made, be an effective diet aid. Hoodia is not a cactus but a succulent plant.
Hoodia has always been eaten by so-called “Bushmen” of South Africa. By eating a slice of Hoodia twice daily, the San people are able to repress hunger and still maintain their energy during two to three day hunting trips. That way they could bring their prey back home without eating them on the trip, which was good practice in these areas of Africa. In northern Botswana Hoodia would be provided to to children who “eat too much” to get them to reduce food intake. This is something that must be done with caution, because if this treatment is given for more than three months, the child will die. In northern Namibia, the vegetable juice of Hoodia is still used to treat allergic reactions in the eye. To treat severe stomach pain, chunks of Hoodia were bolied in water, and the brewed drink ingested.
WHY HOODIA
When scientists examined the ingredients in Hoodia Gordonii, they found that the herb contained a previously unknown substance, called P57, which has now been patented. The patent was sold to Phytopharm, a pharmaceutical company in Cambridgeshire. This company has also sold the rights to develop the medicine of the drug to the large pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
Dr. Richard Dixey of the firm Phytopharm, explains the mechanism of action of Hoodia as follows: The brain detects the intake of sugar in the hypothalamus. When you eat, your blood glucose levels increase and you feel full. Hoodia contains a compound that acts as a neurotransmitter in the same way as glucose, but seems to be 10 000 times as active as glucose. The drug fools the brain into thinking you’re full, even if you have not eaten food. It curbs your appetite so you do not feel like eating.
STUDIES ON THE EFFECTS OF HOODIA
Dixey performed the first animal trials with Hoodia. Rats, which normally eat everything, completely stopped eating after ingestion of the plant. In the first clinical trial with humans, a group of very obese people were placed in a setting that almost resembled a prison. The only thing they could do was to read newspapers, watch TV and eat. Half of the volunteers were given Hoodia and the rest a placebo. 15 days later, the group who were given Hoodia had reduced their caloric intake by 1000 calories per day. The result was interpreted as convincing.
WARNINGS, SIDE EFFECTS AND CONTRAINDICATIONS
Since Hoodia is a “new medicine” for people in western countries, one should be careful not to jump on this new “super herb.” It still needs a lot of research before the active ingredient P57 is on the market for products that are well documented in terms of efficacy and potential side effects. However, there are already many products that are made of hoodia. These are marketed through the internet, but be aware that Hoodia is an herb that is highly endangered in the wild (covered by CITES, a convention that regulates trade in endangered animals and plants and their products), and is therefore illegal to import. Consignments with hoodia arriving in the country is usually stopped at customs, and you can risk getting a fine of several thousand dollars if you try to import Hoodia.
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