Hoodia in the news
 CBS 60
minutes
 Video
Clip /courtesy of CBS 60 Minutes,
"
When we located the plant, Kruiper cut off a stalk that looked like a small
spiky pickle, and removed the sharp spines. In the interest of science, Stahl
ate it. She described the taste as " a little cucumbery in texture, but not
bad."
"
So how did it work? Stahl says 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 would normally have a pang around mealtime. And, she also had
no desire to eat or drink the entire day. " I'd have to say it did work," says
Stahl."
Read the whole story
CBS NEWS
"
Each year, people spend more than $40 billion on products designed to help
them slim down. None of them seem to be working very well. Now along comes
Hoodia. Never heard of it? Soon it'll be tripping off your tongue, because
Hoodia is a natural substance that literally takes your appetite away" . Read the whole story
NBC Today Show
It's the look everyone wants — a body to diet for. They're on the beaches, in
magazines and all over Hollywood. How far will we go to get one? How about
thousands of miles and deep into a distant culture? South Africa’s Kalahari
Desert is home to what could be the answer to an appetite.
It's a cactus called hoodia. “You strip off the skin, you strip off the
spines, and then you consume it,” says weight loss expert Madelyn Fernstrom. Read the whole story
Oprah Winfrey’s “O” Magazine
(Talking about Hoodia) “Deep in the heart of Southern Africa’s Kalahari
Desert may lie the secret to weight loss.”
ABC-7 Los Angeles
"
South African San Bushmen who live in the Kalahari dessert drink hoodia
cactus juice to survive when food is not available. Now manufacturers are
harvesting the cactus' appetite-suppressing properties.
Studies done by the manufacturer show hoodia pills don't cause the typical
side effects of other diet drugs such as jitteriness."
Hoodia National
Geographic Investigative Report (by
Leon Marshall)
" Africa's Bushmen May Get Rich From Diet-Drug Secret...
The drug named P57 is based on a substance scientists found in the desert
plant Hoodia gordinii. The San call the cactus !khoba and have
been chewing on it for thousands of years to stave off hunger and thirst during
long hunting trips in their parched Kalahari desert home.. A deal has been signed between the South African San Council and the
country's Scientific and Industrial Research Council (CSIR), which identified
the appetite-suppressing ingredient in Hoodia during research into
indigenous plants in 1996..." Read the Whole Story
ABOUT.COM (by Mary Shomon)
"
Desert Plant is Promising Appetite Suppressant and Weight Loss Supplement.
If you haven't heard about the supplement Hoodia gordonii, there's no doubt you
will very soon. Hoodia, a natural appetite suppressant, is earning attention as
a potentially powerful weapon in the war against obesity and the American focus
on losing weight. Hoodia supplements were just introduced to the U.S. market in
early 2004. "
WBAL TV
"
Dr. Richard Goldfarb thinks it works. He is the medical director of research
and development at Bucks County Clinical Research. He says Hoodia isn't a
stimulant but it works on the brain.
Goldfarb: " The appetite suppressant effect -- after it accumulates in your
system, after only a few days that we saw in our study has shown that people
will cut their calories probably in less than half and their not desiring any
additional food."
KOMO TV
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One San hunter says " I learned it from my forefathers. It is my food, my
water, my medicine."
"
It's medicine because a little Hoodia can kill severe hunger pains and
quench the most powerful thirst. For the desert hunter it is a godsend. Now one
man's cure for hunger is turning into another's diet drug." Read
the whole story
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