May 3, 2008 
It is difficult to trace out exactly since when the tribes of the Kalahari Desert in South Africa have been using the stem of the Hoodia Gordonii plant to ward off their hunger. Hoodia grows wild in Africa. A Dutch anthropologist was the first European to describe the plant. In 1937, he was studying the habits of nomadic hunters and noted that they often ate the plant when food and water were scarce. He mentioned that the Hoodia Gordonii plant was not particularly tasty, but it had the desirable effect of reducing appetite and thirst and thereby can be produced an effective drug to reduce weight.
The Secret Is Unfolded!
It was not until 1963 that an organized study of Hoodia Gordonii was performed. Scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa reported that laboratory animals which were fed on the Hoodia plant lost weight. Sometime in the 1990’s the scientists in South Africa were able to attract the interest of a British pharmaceutical company, Phytopharm. Eventually, through a joint effort, they were able to isolate and identify the active molecule in Hoodia Gordonii and named it ‘p57′. In 1995, Phytopharm licensed and patented ‘p57′. Phytopharm reportedly spent more than $20 million dollars researching the effects of the ‘p57′ molecule found in the Hoodia Gordonii plant before they sub-licensed the rights to Pfizer in 1998. One of the major production problems is the limited availability of Hoodia Gordonii. The Gordonii plant requires extremely high temperatures to flourish and it takes four to five years to mature. Phytopharm is now working with Uni-lever and has established Hoodia Gordonii plantations in South Africa.
Experts make the following recommendations for overweight people interested in trying Gordonii supplements. The length of time to experience the appetite suppressing effects may occur quickly, even following the first dose, but some people do not notice a significant difference until after taking the supplement for several weeks. In addition, the recommended dosage may need to be adjusted up or down depending on the individual. There are no adverse side effects associated with Hoodia Gordonii.
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