Hoodia Gordonii or Xhoba is a bitter-tasting plant that grows in the deserts of South Africa ( Namibia , Angola and Botswana ). Similar to a cactus but called a succulent because it flowers, Hoodia takes approximately five years to mature and harvest, growing up to two-feet in height.
Traditionally, it is used by the Bushmen of the Kalahari for a number of ailments and as an appetite suppressant by eating the flesh of the stem. It has been shown to curb appetite by sending strong signals to nerve cells to trick the brain into thinking that the body has had enough to eat, even though it has not eaten. Although there are twenty different species within the family Asclepiadaceae, Hoodia Gordonii is the only succulent identified with appetite suppressing properties.
Due to its endangered status, harvesting of natural Hoodia Gordonii is prohibited by law and supply from select commercial Hoodia farms is strictly controlled by the South African government.
The history of Hoodia
For thousands of years, the San Bushmen of the Kalahari used the Hoodia Gordonii succulent to eliminate hunger and thirst during long hunting expeditions in the desert. Early on, its appetite suppressing qualities had already begun to attract the attention of a Dutch anthropologist who studied the San indigenous people in 1937. According to the anthropologist, the hunters consumed nothing except the flesh and juice of the Hoodia stem during their two to three-day hunting trips. In addition to these qualities, Hoodia is also known to induce a state of alertness that makes it ideal for the hunters to track their prey over long distances.
Research & Clinical Trials
A few clinical trials have been conducted on Hoodia gordonii. The first scientific investigation of Hoodia was conducted by the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in the 1960’s in a study of the toxic effects of food eaten by the indigenous people in South Africa. These scientists discovered that not only was Hoodia not toxic, but it caused weight loss in animals. They identified a molecule that has been patented and called P57 that is reputed to be responsible for its appetite suppressing qualities.
Further clinical trials were conducted by Phytopharm (link to phytopharm below), a pharmaceutical company in Leicester , England interested in developing powerful appetite suppressant diet pills. In 2001 they performed two clinical trials, one on rats and one on humans. The rats given Hoodia reduced caloric intake by 30% to 50%. The human clinical trial showed that between the Hoodia group and the placebo group, the Hoodia group reduced caloric intake by approximately 50% or 1000 calories per day and lost weight over a 14 day period.*
Similarly, researchers at Brown University in 2004 concluded that Hoodia has the potential to suppress appetite. All these studies reaffirm what the Bushmen have known for generations; Hoodia works!
Interested in further developing and marketing Hoodia's unique qualities, the drug companies Phytopharm and Pfizer joined in 1998 to develop an appetite suppressant by commercially reproducing the P57 molecule in drug form. Pfizer then sold the license back to Phytopharm.. In 2004 Unilever joined Phytopharm to continue to develop and eventually market this product.
As Phytopharm and Unilever have yet to come up with a viable formula to reproduce the molecule P57, natural Hoodia is still available for use as an appetite suppressant in its whole, traditional form. To preserve and to allow Hoodia for transport, the succulent is milled into concentrated powder, but continues to remain 100% pure.
Hoodia hailed as a “weight loss miracle”
Hoodia's popularity has soared and its use and effectiveness has been featured by both the acclaimed television news program 60 Minutes, the BBC and NBC Today Show (link to these articles – links found in Hoodia in the news). With concerns over the problem of obesity at an all time high, a natural botanical that produces no side effects and helps control appetite is being hailed as a “miracle drug” with great potential for weight loss, and the “greatest appetite suppressant of all time”.
Creating Hoodia Powder
After 4-5 years when the Hoodia plant has reached maturity the fleshy fingers or aerial parts are harvested. These aerial parts are considered the most potent part of the Hoodia plant for weight loss. The fingers are then washed, sliced and dried in special drying chambers. When dried it is milled and quality tested. The product is now in its purest most concentrated natural form to be successfully used for weight loss.
Hoodia Gordonii or Xhoba is a bitter-tasting plant that grows in the deserts of South Africa ( Namibia , Angola and Botswana ). Similar to a cactus but called a succulent because it flowers, Hoodia takes approximately five years to mature and harvest, growing up to two-feet in height. 
For thousands of years, the San Bushmen of the Kalahari used the Hoodia Gordonii succulent to eliminate hunger and thirst during long hunting expeditions in the desert. Early on, its appetite suppressing qualities had already begun to attract the attention of a Dutch anthropologist who studied the San indigenous people in 1937. According to the anthropologist, the hunters consumed nothing except the flesh and juice of the Hoodia stem during their two to three-day hunting trips. In addition to these qualities, Hoodia is also known to induce a state of alertness that makes it ideal for the hunters to track their prey over long distances.
A few clinical trials have been conducted on Hoodia gordonii. The first scientific investigation of Hoodia was conducted by the 
