Hoodia Gordonii Plant’s only appetite suppressing molecule – P57

Hoodia started gaining more and more publicity after 1963 when CSIR scientists in South Africa started researching on the Hoodia Gordonii’s (one among the 13 hoodia species) appetite controlling ability.

P57- the only appetite suppressant in Hoodia

  1. CSIR scientists found that only one type of molecules (which was later named as P57) in Hoodia Gordonii are capable of suppressing appetite which exist only in the core or aerial stem of Hoodia Gordonii Plant.
  2. These miracle molecules form  just 0.1 – 0.5 % of the Hoodia gordonii’s core which means, remaining 99.5% of Hoodia Gordonii’s core has nothing to do with suppressing appetite. It also means that Hoodia Gordonii plant’s flowers, root and leaves do not have that molecule and so they can not suppress appetite.
  3. It took more than 30 years for the scientists at Africa’s national laboratory of CSIR to separate that only appetite suppressing molecule from other inactive molecules of Hoodia Gordonii’s core.
  4. When they finally succeeded in isolating that miracle molecule in 1995, they named that molecule as P57 and obtained patent for the application of that molecule as a material in weight loss supplements.

Hoodia P57 – Patented to Phytopharm, UK

  • Then CSIR licensed that patent to Phytopharm, UK which in turn sub-licensed the rights to Pfizer, Us pharmaceutical giant in 1998 for manufacturing and commercialization of P57 supplements.
  • But Pfizer found extracting and isolating P57 from hoodia core to produce a diet supplement very costly and unfeasible and returned the right to Phytopharm in 2003. Now Phytopharm is working with Uniliver to develop a P57 Hoodia supplement.
  • They have not launched any Hoodia P57 supplement to the market till now.

Does Hoodia P57 work?

History shows that San Bushmen were using the plant for suppressing hunger and thirst on their long hunting trips.

In 1980s CSIR conducted a clinical study on rats by injecting isolated P57 to their brains that made the rats to eat less.

Phytopharm conducted a clinical research involving 18 human volunteers that found  that hoodia P57 consumption reduced food intake by about 1000 calories per day.

All these  make it very clear that, P57 works. It controls hunger and so will definitely aid weight loss.

Are the current Hoodia marketers violating the patent rights of Phytopharm?

Every Hoodia pill seller says their pill has maximum amount of P57.  Then aren’t they violating the P57 patent?

No. The patent is on only isolated/ separated/ extracted P57 molecules of Hoodia Gordonii. It is not on Hoodia Gordonii Plant as a whole or even on core (aerial stem) of Hoodia Gordonii where P57 molecules exist.

It means no company other than Phytopharm can isolate or extract P57 molecules to produce any weight loss supplement as per the patent rights. If you find any company selling diet pills with Hoodia extracts, they are fake Hoodia products.

Anyone can use Hoodia Gordonii plant or its core as a whole to produce weight loss supplements.

Powdered Hoodia Gordonii’s core

All the current Genuine Hoodia pills on the market are made from powdered Hoodia Gordonii core (which has 0.1-0.5% P57) to produce hoodia diet pills. This is not against P57 patent rights.

Read "CITES Certificate" and "How to find Genuine unique hoodia" to make an informed decision on any hoodia weight loss supplement.

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