Hoodia Gordonii (as Reported on 60 Minutes II) is a succulent plant found in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa.

The San Tribesmen of the Kalahari have been using hoodia extract as a food source for thousands of years.

It is believed to reduce appetite, lower craving for food and provide greater energy.

Hoodia gordonii can be found in the semi-deserts of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola. hoodia extract grows in clumps of green upright stems and is actually a succulent, not a cactus.

It takes about 5 years before hoodia's pale purple flowers appear and the cactus can be harvested. Although there are 20 types of hoodia, only the hoodia gordonii variety is believed to contain the natural appetite suppressant.

Although hoodia extract was "discovered" relatively recently, the San Bushmen of the Kalahari desert have been eating it for a very long time. The Bushmen, who live off the land, would cut off part of the stem and eat it to ward off hunger and thirst during nomadic hunting trips. They also used hoodia extract for severe abdominal cramps, haemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, hypertension and diabetes.

In 1937, a Dutch anthropologist studying the San Bushmen noted that they used hoodia extract to suppress appetite. But it wasn't until 1963 when scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa's national laboratory, began studying hoodia extract. Initial results were promising -- lab animals lost weight after taking hoodia extract.

The South African scientists, working with a British company named Phytopharm, isolated the active ingredient in hoodia, a al glycoside, which they named p57. After getting a patent in 1995, they licensed p57 to Phytopharm. Phytopharm has spent more than $20 million on hoodia research.

Eventually giant Pfizer (makers of Viagra) caught wind of hoodia and became interested in developing a hoodia drug. In 1998, Phytopharm sub-licensed the rights to develop p57 to Pfizer for $21 million. Pfizer recently returned the rights to hoodia extract to Phytopharm, who is now working with Unilever.

Supplement Facts
Serving Size: 2 Capsules
Servings Per Container: 30
	Amount Per Serving	%DV
Hoodia gordonii Stem Extract (20:1)	500 mg	**?
**? Daily Value not established.

1 to 2 capsules one hour before a meal, with an 8 ounce glass of water.