BBC News Report on Hoodia Gordonii

Imagine what would happen if there was an organic pill that kills the appetite that had no known side-effects. It would eliminate fad diets, lower insurance costs thanks to the user's increased health, and give the person more energy.  This would help eliminate obesity without creating additional problems. In the Kalahari Desert, such a pill was found.

The hoodia gordonii cactus is an ugly plant that takes to years to mature and thrives in the extreme heat. It also has the a molecule in it called P57, which has staved off hunger for hunters for thousands of years. When South African scientists were tested it, they discovered the plant contained a powerful hunger suppressant. The license was sold to a Cambridgeshire bio-pharmaceutical company, Phytopharm, who in turn sold the development and marketing rights to the giant Pfizer Corporation, and then to Unilever. Interestingly, the Bushmen hold the actual ownership of rights, and they benefit from the financial rewards of Pfizer harvesting the hoodia.

According to the British Heart Foundation 17% of men and 21% of women are obese, while 46% of men and 32% of women are overweight. Although help is sought through diet supplements and exercise, they aren't always effective, and some of the supplements carry with them side effects ranging from undesirable to downright deadly. As such, the big pharmaceutical companies are always looking for the next big supplement, and preferably one without side-effects.

During animal testing, Phytopharm's Dr Richard Dixey used rats, a species that will eat literally anything, stopped eating completely. When the first human clinical trial was conducted, a morbidly obese group of people were placed in a "phase 1 unit", which severely restricted what they could do. Thus, all the volunteers could do all day was read papers, watch television, and eat. Half were given Hoodia, half placebo. Fifteen days later, the Hoodia group had reduced their calorie intake by 1000 a day.

The test was an incredible success. Well, except for one detail: Although  there are no side effects, the cactus tastes terrible. Otherwise, it would make a great addition to salads. The pill derived from a desert plant can help people lose weight, and do so in a healthy way. Although no long term testing has yet been done (mostly due to its relative recent discovery) Pfizer is nonetheless hopeful that hoodia will enable dieters a new lease on life.