 AUG 2: When western drug companies
learned the San bushmen of the Kalahari Desert of South Africa, one
of the world’s oldest and most primitive tribes, have been eating the
Hoodia
cactus
plant to stave off hunger during long hunting trips, the push was on to
sideline the indigenous people and turn this remarkable plant into a
miracle drug.
It has made a huge impact in North American and has revolutionized
the diet industry. Now, this powerful appetite suppressant is
increasingly being sold in the Canada, United Kingdom, Germany and
Spain also, among other markets.
As a result, Hoodia commercial cultivation in South Africa is
becoming in short supply due to the continuous growing demand for
the diet pills.
Therefore, "some counterfeited products are flourishing into the
market, made with other Hoodia varieties (not hoodia gordonii)
coming from Mexico and China. Additionally, misunderstandings on
qualities and quantities of Hoodia being used, is worrying
consumers.
A new blog found at
http://infohoodia.blogspot.com is offering information on Hoodia
Gordonii and also noni juices and aloe vera, two other products
which makes a perfect synergy with Hoodia for the health, beauty and
weight loss objectives.
Michael and Barbara Kitchener are two big fans of Hoodia, saying:
"We can’t believe it! Hoodia is like MAGIC! One capsule when feeling
hungry and presto –the feeling is gone. We are feeling great and
losing weight.”
Patricia Smyth says: “I’ve lost the ten pounds I’ve been trying to
lose for 10 years!”
When asked in the recent 60 Minutes interview how
Hoodia worked for her, CBS News correspondent Lesley Stahl said, she
had no after effects – no funny taste in her mouth, no queasy
stomach, and no racing heart. She also wasn't hungry all day, even
when she'd normally have a pang around mealtime. She also had no
desire to eat or drink the entire day. "I'd have to say it did
work," says Stahl."
Understanding it
was the natural ingredient and not an artificial drug the San people
used for generations to stop unbearable hunger, treat ailments and
summon limitless energy, Natural Holistics Research became
the first (Spring, 2003) to bring to the public the purest, most potent
Hoodia
in its natural bona fide form.
To test the Hoodia, morbidly obese people from Leicester, England,
were kept in a place as close to prison as it gets. All the
volunteers could do was read papers and watch television - and eat.
Half the group was given Hoodia Gordonii and half was given a
placebo. At the end of 15 days, the group on Hoodia had reduced
their food intake by 1000 calories a day. Given the average daily
diet is around 2200 calories, this was a stunning success!
The truth about food after 40 is that it is required for maintenance
only. We really don't need to eat that much to keep healthy, trim
and fit. The problem is we live in a culture that forces food at us.
Here in America the tendency is to snack all day. For many of us
there are no meal times. We sneak down to the fridge at two in the
morning and hit the HaagenDaz, consume huge amounts of calories and
still not feel full. We think too much about food, make too many
ceremonies around it. But how can we stop?
Hoodia
gordonii diet pill also has a natural feel-good aphrodisiac
quality. Plus, the wonder-plant from which it's made is said to give
the San tribesmen abundant energy to hunt by day and,
superhuman-like strength to make love all night long!
Moreover, aside
from using it to stop unbearable hunger, provide unperturbed energy
(not jitters or sleeplessness), and shore up emotional centeredness,
the San also use it to treat diabetes, hypertension and
tuberculosis. It's even said to cure hangovers and upset stomachs
too. With no noted downsides and no known side effects... What more
could you ask?
What is Hoodia?
Key ingredients: Hoodia gordonii is an extract derived from a
succulent plant that grows in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa.
It thrives in extremely hot weather, and it takes many years to
mature. The plants, which are native to a narrow region of southern
Africa’s republic of Namibia, on the edge of the Kalahari Desert,
are pollinated by flies. But this cactus has an incredible virtue.
It contains the highly active molecules P-57 that directly
influences the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls
satiation or the sense of being completely full. P-57 extract "
misleads" the brain and body by allowing you to believe you have
just eaten. Furthermore, It works by imitating the effect that
glucose has on nerve cells in the brain, which is to fool the body
into thinking it is full, even when it is not, thus curbing the
appetite.
The pitch: A natural appetite suppressant used for generations by
South African desert bushmen to blunt hunger on long hunting trips.
How it works: Some research indicates a compound called P57 in
Hoodia acts on the hypothalamus of the brain, which tricks the
stomach into thinking it's full.
Pros: An unpublished study by a British company licensed to
develop P57 found that nine men who took the compound twice a day
for 15 days ended up consuming fewer calories and losing more body
fat than men who took placebos. Anecdotal reports from those who
have eaten natural Hoodia indicate it curbs appetite.
Cons: No human studies gauging the effectiveness or safety of
Hoodia have been published. Even if the plant dampens hunger, it
doesn't mean that processed supplements will work the same way.
There are many unknowns, including how much of the supplement you
need to consume to achieve an effect, how often you can safely take
it and how long it will keep working. Tests on 10 supplement brands
in the United States have found that six of them contain no or very
little amounts of Hoodia.
Bottom line: The supplement has not been well studied, but so far
the plant doesn't appear to cause any side effects. Dietary
supplement makers are not required by the U.S. government to
demonstrate that their products are safe or effective. The
possibility that Hoodia is processed in the liver is cause for
concern, given that many obese people have liver abnormalities. Read
labels to ensure the product contains Hoodia. Anyone who uses this
should consult with his or her doctor.
Who are the San people?
 SAN
[San] , people of SW Africa, consisting of several groups and
numbering over 85,000 in all. They are generally short in stature;
their skin is yellowish brown in color; and they have broad noses,
flat ears, bulging foreheads, and prominent cheekbones. The San have
been called Bushmen by whites in South Africa, but the term is now
considered derogatory. Although many now work for white settlers,
about half are still nomadic hunters and gatherers of wild food in
desolate areas like the Kalahari desert of SW Africa. Their social
unit is the small hunting band; larger organizations are loose and
temporary. Caves and rock shelters are used as dwellings. They
possess only what they can carry, using poisoned arrowheads to fell
game and transporting water in ostrich-egg shells. The San have a
rich folklore, are skilled in drawing, and have a remarkably complex
language characterized by the use of click sounds, related to that
of the Khoikhoi . For thousands of years the San lived in S and
central Africa, but by the time of the Portuguese arrival in the
15th cent., they had already been forced into the interior of S
Africa. In the 18th and 19th cent., they resisted the encroachment
on their lands of Dutch settlers, but by 1862 that resistance had
been crushed.
(Despardes staff writer)
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