Hoodia gordonii

Hoodia gordonii is a medicinal plant.

Medicinal uses
The use of Hoodia has long been known by the indigenous populations of Southern Africa, who infrequently use these plants for treating indigestion and small infections.

In 1977, the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) isolated the ingredient in hoodia—now known as P57—which is responsible for its appetite-suppressant effect, and patented it in 1996. The CSIR then granted United Kingdom-based Phytopharm a license, and they collaborated with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer to isolate active ingredients from the extracts and look into synthesizing them for use as an appetite suppressant. Pfizer released the rights to the primary ingredient in 2002. Paul Hutson, associate professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, told the Wisconsin State Journal, "For Pfizer to release something dealing with obesity suggests to me that they felt there was no merit to its oral use". Pfizer states that development on P57, the active ingredient of Hoodia, was stopped due to the difficulty of synthesizing P57. Jasjit Bindra, lead researcher for hoodia at Pfizer, states there were indications of unwanted effects on the liver caused by other components, which could not be easily removed from the supplement, adding "Clearly, hoodia has a long way to go before it can earn approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Until safer formulations are developed, dieters should be wary of using it."

In 2002, CSIR officially recognized the San tribespeople’s rights over Hoodia, allowing them to take a percentage of the profits and any spin-offs resulting from the marketing of Hoodia. Hoodia gordonii is a protected plant which may only be wild-harvested by individuals and the few companies who have been granted a license.

Scientific study
There is no published scientific evidence that Hoodia works as an appetite suppressant in humans. The safety and/or effectiveness of Hoodia Gordonii as a dietary supplement must thus be considered as unsubstantiated.

Animal research on hoodia includes one published scientific study in which a purified extract of Hoodia Gordonii, known as P57, was injected directly into the brains of rats. The author of the rat study said that P57 was easily broken down by the liver, so it might be hard to take in enough of it to ensure that it had an effect. MacLean cautioned that currently available supplements might be inadequate, stating "I question whether there is really enough of the active ingredient in there to do much."

Richard M. Goldfarb, MD, a doctor and medical director of Bucks County Clinical Research in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, claims to have conducted a preliminary efficacy study of Hoodia gordonii on seven people and reports to have found it effective. This very small trial was reportedly sponsored by a Hoodia manufacturer and none of the findings were ever published in any peer-reviewed journal. Such information cannot be considered as evidence that hoodia is effective as a weight loss product.

Other medical weight loss experts remain skeptical and do not recommend hoodia to obese patients. Adrienne Youdim, MD, medical director of the Comprehensive Weight Loss Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Michael Steelman, MD, chairman of the board of trustees for the American Society of Bariatric Physicians says "There is no [published scientific] data to support its use."

Authentication
As Hoodia gordonii is a species threatened with extinction if international trade is not monitored, it is listed under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and is illegal to export from Africa without a CITES certificate being issued by proper authorities.

In the USA, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and United States Customs Service (part of the Department of Homeland Security) regulate the importation and re-exportation of species such as Hoodia gordonii. Current U.S. laws stipulate that not only must a CITES certificate accompany shipments of Hoodia gordonii but that the importers must possess a permit issued by the USDA to import Terrestrial Plants. In order to re-export H. gordonii, you must apply for a CITES re-export certificate.

In addition to looking for a copy of a CITES and USDA permit from a manufacturer of "Hoodia" products a consumer should also look for a report from an independent testing lab which has conducted scientific analysis on the product in question, testifying that they have been able to authenticate the presence of Hoodia gordonii.

The primary testing methods for authenticating Hoodia gordonii are:


 * HPTLC
 * HPLC
 * Microscopy /DPI
 * P57

As of 2007 there are four independent labs which are conducting tests to verify Hoodia gordonii in consumer products. They are: Advanced Laboratories, Inc. in Smithfield, North Carolina, Alkemist Pharmaceuticals, Chromadex Labs of Costa Mesa, California, and the University of Mississippi. The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is also working on a Hoodia Standard which is believed to be available in the industry in late 2007 in response to scrutiny by the Federal Trade Commission of the Hoodia industry and complaints by consumers of fraudulent Hoodia products being marketed.

Media coverage
The BBC started the media hype when they reported on the Hoodia gordonii plant in 2003. On November 21, 2004, 60 Minutes aired a report on the effectiveness of the Hoodia gordonii plant as a natural appetite suppressant.

Prior to this 60 Minutes report, there were a total of three Hoodia products on the U.S. market and Hoodia gordonii was being sold by African farmers at US$13 per kilogram. In 2007, there are an estimated 300 products being sold worldwide being touted as "authentic Hoodia gordonii" with a street rate for Hoodia gordonii at $250 per kilogram on average.

The media coverage and heavy marketing by nutritional supplement companies that followed those reports have created such a demand for Hoodia plants that a protected status was imposed in several countries like Namibia. Many products claiming to contain Hoodia do not actually contain the active ingredient alleged to suppress appetite. Only the South African product has the claimed properties. An ongoing review of Hoodia pills by Alkemists Pharmaceuticals found that at least half of the products advertised as containing Hoodia contained none.

In March 2006, Consumer Reports investigated the dietary supplement and concluded, "This weight loss drug lacks the clinical evidence for the Consumer Reports experts to recommend this product."

Marketing and spam
Lack of scientific evidence or regulatory approval have not stopped dietary supplement companies from marketing Hoodia gordonii supplements with claims that it can lower blood pressure and reduce the appetite. Goen Technologies Corporation's TrimSpa unit began marketing Hoodia gordonii under the brand name X32 with celebrity spokesperson Anna Nicole Smith, even though the FDA has notified Trimspa that it has not demonstrated that claims for their product are scientifically supportable. Health Canada has not approved any hoodia products for sale. However, they are sold in natural health stores. Goen Technologies has also been sued by the state of New Jersey for misleading consumers. The Trimspa brand is currently the subject of a lawsuit in California which claims that it does not contain any of Hoodia's active ingredient.

In December 2004, Unilever entered into an agreement with Phytopharm to start marketing Hoodia gordonii commercially in the form of shakes and diet bars although as of April 2007 no products have yet surfaced on the consumer market from that venture.

On February 17, 2006 a U.S. trademark was issued to an American individual for a Hoodia gordonii protein shake being marketed as "Hoodia Shake", which expanded U.S.-based Hoodia gordonii supplements beyond the venue of capsule products only.

Between March and June of 2006, millions of E-mail spam and forum messages were sent out concerning Hoodia, ostensibly offering Hoodia extracts for weight control purposes. The Federal Trade Commission has logged numerous complaints of consumer fraud associated with Hoodia and the number is expected to continue to rise.

On July 1 2006, it was reported on entertainment news show Extra that a company is now marketing Hoodia-enhanced lollipops called PowerPops.

As of April 2007, Hoodia gordonii products are being marketed in a variety of formats to include: capsules, tablets, liquid tinctures, coffee and tea products, syrups, protein shakes and even diet fruit bars.

There are many so-called "consumer research" websites claiming to show consumer reviews and testimonials. The legitimacy and accuracy of data on these websites is unknown; however one fact gleaned from them is that an important litmus test for authenticating real Hoodia gordonii is that Hoodia exporters must be issued a CITES certificate by the office of Western Cape Nature in order for Hoodia to be legally exported abroad from Africa. In addition to massive spam campaigns, there have been many reports of over-hyped and sometimes misleading marketing associated with websites selling and/or promoting Hoodia-related products.