Does Hoodia Work?
If you have ever heard a radio ad or seen a famous celebrity endorsing hoodia, you have probably wondered if there is any truth to their claims.
Hoodia gordonii has been, they say, used anciently to suppress appetite on long hunting trips in the Kalahari Desert, where it is found.
Could hoodia suppress your appetite, lower your blood pressure, and help you to lose weight?
What is Hoodia?
Hoodia gordonii is a leafless spiny succulent plant with medicinal properties. It is found in Nambia and South Africa. It has been used by the populations of these areas as a treatment for indigestion and in the treatment of infection, but its apparent appetite suppressing qualities have drawn the most attention.
In 1977, the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) isolated the ingredient in hoodia that was supposedly responsible for its appetite-suppressant effect – known as P57.
Does Hoodia Really Work?
In order to determine how effective hoodia is, one needs to look at the history of this interesting ingredient. CSIR granted a U.K. based pharmaceutical company a license, and they collaborated with a U.S. based drug company to isolate the active ingredients in the extract with the hopes of creating and selling an appetite suppressant.
This all seemed very promising, but just six years later the rights to the primary ingredient were released to the public. Paul Hutson, associate professor in the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy, told the Wisconsin State Journal, “For Pfizer to release something dealing with obesity suggests to me that they felt there was no merit to its oral use”.
Lest you think this is an isolated event, Unilever did essentially the same thing just a few years later, and entered into an agreement with the same U.K. based pharmaceutical company only to pull out four years later.
Is Hoodia Unsafe or Ineffective?
According to Unilever, the answer is both. After investing over $18 million in research and development, they stated that their “clinical studies revealed that products using hoodia would not meet our strict standards of safety and efficacy.”
Conclusion
The sad reality is that even if hoodia gordonii had dangerous side-effects, these companies still would have manufactured it, as long as it was effective. The fact that it was rejected twice indicates that hoodia is not something that you should expect to work safely and efficiently.
When you are looking for diet pills, it is important to do some research before you buy. Read diet pill reviews and research specific ingredients. Some ingredients are diamonds in the rough and some, like hoodia, are all bark and no bite.
