Hoodia Gordonii cactus has been used for centuries by the Xhomani Sans Bushmen of southern Africa's Kalahari Desert, to suppress the appetite during long hunting trips.
It works by making you feel full after ingesting hoodia. Tt has been shown to reduce food intake by up to 50% in studies by pharmaceutical companies. Their goal was to create a synthetic derivative.
British biotechnology company, Phytopharm, and the pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer acquired the rights to its development and commercialization as an anti-obesity drug for use in the West. Now the San people, in the first deal of its kind, will be rewarded for the development of a drug, which makes use of their traditional knowledge.
Under the terms of the agreement, the San people will receive regular fees as the drug -developed from a plant used to suppress the appetite - passes various stages on the way to market.
In an interview with ABCNEWS, a spokesman for the San people says, "I learned how to eat it from my forefathers," as he prepared a piece of the cactus-like plant called hoodia by trimming off the prickly spikes. "It is my food, my water, and also a medicine for me."
"Hoodia stops hunger and also treats sickness," Steenkamp told ABCNEWS. "We San, use the plant during hunting to fight off the pain of hunger and thirst."
There are no known side effects with Hoodia Gordonii although it is said to possess a mild aphrodisiac effect. It contains no Ephedra or Caffeine or any other stimulants.