Hoodia 750 | Diet Pills
The Hoodia 750 plant belongs to the family Asclepiadaceae. There are more than 2000 species in this family with at least half of them being succulent. Succulent plants are those whose body contains plenty of juice and the large content of fleshy tissue in the plant conserves water. Some of the common names for this plant are Xhoba, Carrion plant, African hats and Queen of Namib.
Historical background
The Hoodia plant is native to South Africa and grows naturally in countries like Namibia, Botswana and Angola. The San tribesmen of the Kalahari Desert have used this plant for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. They were nomadic tribes traveling long and difficult journeys in the desert. Hoodia 750 was used by these tribesmen to mask hunger, thirst and even pain.
Research on Hoodia 750
Much research on Hoodia 750 has been done by the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CISR). The CISR holds the patent to Hoodia extracts and the commercial benefit from Hoodia750 is shared between the CISR and representatives of the San tribe in South Africa. Research by CISR, identified a sterol glycoside to be the active ingredient for hunger suppression. The CISR in 1997 sold the license to a British biopharmaceutical company called Phytopharm PLC. Since research and development of health related products require millions of dollars before they can be approved by the Food and Drug Administration for public use, the license was further sold to Pfizer Corporation first and then Unilever Corporation .
The active ingredient of Hoodia 750 has been identified as P57 or P57AS3. This is the same sterol glycoside identified by the CISR in the early 1990s. This substance is found in large quantities in the Hoodia gordonii species of the genus Hoodia. Most of the research on Hoodia gordonii has been carried out in experimental animals especially rats whose metabolism is similar to that of humans. The rat studies have shown a marked increase in the number of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) in the basal hypothalamic neurons after intraventicular injection with extracts of Hoodia 750. ATP is an energy-producing molecule that causes excitation of the neurons present in the satiety center of the hypothalamus.
Phytopharm conducted human experiments with the P57 extract of Hoodia gordonii in 20 overweight individuals. There was a study group receiving Hoodia P57 and another receiving a placebo in this trial. The observations made were compatible with the traditional claims of Hoodia being an anorectic agent. The study group showed decreased food intake, weight loss and also loss of body fat. The disadvantages of this trial was that it was conducted in a small group and other risk factors like diabetes, hypertension, use of oral contraceptives and other co-existing medical disorders were not included.
Safety of Hoodia 750 products
Many Hoodia Gordonii Diet Pills have been available in the market for the last ten years. Hoodia gordonii has in fact emerged as one of the largest selling weight loss products in Europe, US and Canada since 2005. Hoodia products have not been approved by the FDA since large scale human trials and complete scientific evidence on its uses, mechanism of action and adverse effects is still lacking.
Source:
Holt S. Supreme Properties of Hoodia gordonii. Little falls, NJ: Wellness Publishing, 2005
Van Wyk B-E et al Medicinal plants of South Africa. 2nd Edition. Arcadia, Pretoria, South Africa: Briza Publications, 2000.