The Guide to Hoodia Cactus Plant Extract
Aug 12th, 2008 by Philip McDonald
You have most likely heard the buzz about “Hoodia cactus plant extract”. It has now been broadcasted by a number of major media outlets. For instance, the BBC, “The Today Show, CBS and many more have reported on this extraordinary plant extract.
Due to all the attention that the media has given it, Hoodia Gordonii products have quickly risen to be one of the most popular products in the diet supplement market today.
But before you rush out to the store to stock up on Hoodia, there are some things to keep in mind. Hoodia comes in several varieties, but only Hoodia Gordonii possesses the amazing ability to suppress the appetite.
For centuries, the primitive tribe known as the’ Sans Bushmen’, have known of the effects of Hoodia. In the mid 1990s the C.S.I.R (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) conducted a study on the native plants consumed by the ‘Sans Bushmen’.
The study’s ultimate goal was to find which foods the Bushmen were eating were not poisonous. Hoodia Gordonii was found to be non-toxic, as well as being helpful for appetite suppression in laboratory animals.
Through these clinical trials, the C.S.I.R. managed to extract the active ingredient that was capable of inhibiting appetite, and it was named ‘P57,’ or the ‘Hoodia Cactus Extract.’ The British pharmaceutical company Phytopharm subsequently obtained the rights to ‘P57.’
Now, you may wonder why there are such a variety of Hoodia products available on the market if the rights of ‘P57′ were sold to Phytopharm. To find the answer, we must look to the patent laws. Phytopharm is the only entity that is permitted to extract ‘P57′ from Hoodia Gordonii and utilize it in their products. But the whole Hoodia Gordonii plant itself is not something that can be patented. Therefore, other companies may legally make and sell supplements using the Hoodia Gordonii plant.
Anyone who is thinking of giving Hoodia a try should be sure that any product they purchase contains genuine South African Hoodia Gordonii.
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