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Hoodia

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Hoodia
Hoodia gordonii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
Division:
Magnoliophyta
Class:
Magnoliopsida
Order:
Gentianales
Family:
Apocynaceae
Subfamily:
Asclepiadoideae
Tribe:
Stapeliae
Genus:
Hoodia
Species

See text.

Hoodia is a genus in the plant family Apocynaceae, in the part of the family previously treated as a separate family Asclepiadaceae. They are stem succulents, described as "Cactiform" because of their remarkable similarity to the unrelated Cactus family. They can reach up to 1 m high and present exuberant flowers, often with flesh colour and strong smell. Hoodias are protected plants, typical of the Namib Desert, ranging from Central Namibia to southern Angola, especially in plains and rocky areas. Common names include "Bushman's Hat" and "Queen of the Namib". The indigenous Bushmen call this plant Xhoba.

Authentic Hoodia gordonii costs $225/kg USD on the open market as of Jan 2006.

Hoodias are also grown as garden plants. Species and varieties:

  • Hoodia gordonii
  • Hoodia macrantha
  • Hoodia officinale
  • Hoodia ruschii (Queen of the Namib)

Investigation of Hoodia gordonii as an appetite suppressant

The use of Hoodia is long known by the indigenous populations of Southern Africa, who infrequently use these plants for treating indigestion and small infections.

United Kingdom-based Phytopharm teamed with drug giant Pfizer to isolate active ingredients and look into synthesizing the extracts for use as an appetite suppressant. Pfizer released the rights to the primary ingredient in 2002. Paul Hutson, associate professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, told the Wisconsin State News, "For Pfizer to release something dealing with obesity suggests to me that they felt there was no merit to its oral use" (Rath 2005). Pfizer states that development on P57, the active ingredient of Hoodia, was stopped due to the difficulty of synthesizing P57. (Morris, Seattle Times March 9, 2006)

In December 2004 Unilever entered into an agreement with Phytopharm to start marketing Hoodia gordonii commercially in the form of shakes and diet bars.

Only one scientific study has been published, and in that clinical trial the extract was injected directly into the brain of rats (MacLean 2004). No published double-blind scientific trials have been performed on humans to investigate the safety or effectiveness of Hoodia gordonii in pill form as a nutritional supplement.

The press coverage and heavy marketing by nutritional supplement companies have created such a demand for Hoodia plants that a protected status was imposed in several countries like Namibia. Many products claiming to contain hoodia do not actually contain the active ingredient alleged to suppress appetite.

Lack of scientific evidence or regulatory approval have not stopped dietary supplement companies from marketing Hoodia gordonii extracts with claims that it can lower blood pressure and reduce the appetite. Goen Technologies Corporation's TrimSpa unit began marketing Hoodia gordonii under the brand name X32 with celebrity spokesperon Anna Nicole Smith, even though FDA has notified Trimspa that it hasn’t demonstrated that the product is safe or effective.

As an example of how the media presents anecdotal evidence rather than scientific data, in 2004, 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl traveled to Africa to try hoodia gordonii for herself. According to Stahl, she did not have a normal "pang around mealtime," concluding, "I'd have to say it did work."

In March 2006, Consumer Reports investigated the dietary supplement and concluded, "This weight loss drug lacks the clinical evidence for the Consumer Reports experts to recommend this product."

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