| Gotten any email spam lately with a 'warning' | | | | of developing extensive Hoodia plantations. |
| about buying fake Hoodia products or Hoodia | | | | This takes time since Hoodia has never been |
| products with a variety of fillers?Of course, | | | | cultivated before and all the problems of |
| they assure you that THEIR product is 'the | | | | pests, plant diseases, correct growing |
| original product.' It may be the original | | | | conditions, etc. have to be figured out.What |
| product, whatever that might mean, but the | | | | all this really means is that right now the |
| chances of it containing Hoodia are pretty | | | | quantities of real Hoodia available are |
| close to zero.Or maybe you're getting the | | | | extremely limited. Some legitimate supplement |
| spam about Hoodia 92--, whatever, or one | | | | companies have even been scammed by their |
| about getting into skinny jeans or having men | | | | suppliers into believing that they were |
| chase you, or the brickwall last 18 pounds | | | | receiving genuine Hoodia when they were |
| spam with the large "disc0unts". Obviously | | | | getting roots, other succulents, sawdust, |
| the spammers see this as a potentially | | | | etc.As a consumer, you are likely to get |
| lucrative market. If any of the spam tempts | | | | burned buying any weight loss product that is |
| you, you really need to be aware of a few | | | | supposed to contain Hoodia unless it has been |
| things about Hoodia.The whole diet area is | | | | licensed by Phytopharm. Food supplements |
| scam heaven for unscrupulous, dishonest con | | | | (NOT labeled as a weight loss product) may or |
| artists selling products that do nothing and | | | | may not contain Hoodia. Ones that may |
| cost a lot. The few legitimate ones can be | | | | actually contain Hoodia may not have enough |
| nearly impossible to identify among the | | | | to have any weight loss effect. Some may |
| fakes.Legally, only one company has the | | | | contain Hoodia, but not the active ingredient |
| license to market Hoodia as a weight loss | | | | (that P57 molecule).At this point, Phytopharm |
| product. Hoodia gordonii, as a weight loss | | | | is planning to bring out various food |
| product, has been patented by CSIR (the South | | | | products containing Hoodia gordonii, |
| African Council for Scientific and Industrial | | | | hopefully by 2008.Meanwhile, unless it's a |
| Research) and patents have been submitted in | | | | Pytopharm product, if it claims to be Hoodia |
| territories all over the world. Exclusive | | | | and to be for weight loss, at the very least |
| license for these patents belongs to | | | | the marketing is illegal and infringes on |
| Phytopharm, a bio-pharmaceutical company.The | | | | Phytopharm's rights, and, most probably, the |
| main problem is that Hoodia is a slow growing | | | | product has either none of the necessary |
| succulent (it looks sort of like a cactus) | | | | product or too little to be effective.Once |
| which grows wild in limited areas in South | | | | real Hoodia products do become more widely |
| Africa, Namibia and Botswana. While not | | | | available, they could be extremely helpful in |
| endangered (yet), it is listed in Appendix II | | | | weight reduction and appetite control. But |
| of CITES (Convention on International Trade | | | | now? Over the internet? Scams seem to rule, |
| in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and | | | | so be prepared to waste your money. While |
| Flora). That means there are legal controls | | | | Hoodia certainly appears to work - and |
| on collecting Hoodia and on exporting | | | | probably is safe, your chances of actually |
| it.Hoodia contains a molecule called P57 | | | | getting Hoodia, unless you are very careful, |
| (catchy name, isn't it?). According to | | | | make focusing on maintaining a workable diet |
| Phytopharm's Dr Richard Dixey, P57 | | | | and exercise program a much more certain |
| essentially tricks the brain into feeling | | | | alternative for losing weight.Copyright 2006 |
| full. No side effects except a sense of | | | | Richard KeirRichard writes on a variety of |
| feeling good have yet been identified but | | | | health and niche subjects. If you're |
| clinical trials are still underway to ensure | | | | interested in low carb (be careful with this |
| that the Hoodia extract is safe. | | | | kind of diet, it may be unsafe), has |
| Unfortunately, while P57 can be artificially | | | | recipes, articles, news and diet resources. |
| made, the process cannot be scaled up to | | | | has more articles and information on diets, |
| produce commercial quantities at affordable | | | | dieting, nutrition and fitness. |
| prices.Phytopharm is, however, in the process | | | | |