Yes, Hoodia gordonii grows only in South Africa and Namibia. The flowers smell like rotten meat and are pollinated mainly by flies (nice)! The San Bushmen have long used it for treating indigestion and small infections. However, it is their centuries-old use of the meat of the plant, to suppress appetite when making long hunting trips in the Kalahari Desert, that has stimulated the most interest. Nowadays this plant is big business in the world of dieting! In 1977, the Council for Industrial and Scientific Research (CISR) isolated the ingredient in hoodia, now known as P57, which is responsible for its appetite-suppressant effect. They patented it in 1996. However, the positive news is that in 2002 the CISR recognices 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 this plant. Hoodia is now a protected plant which may only be wild-harvested by individuals and the few companies who have been granted a license.
Great flower! Never seen it before. Only in Africa?
ReplyDeleteYes, Hoodia gordonii grows only in South Africa and Namibia. The flowers smell like rotten meat and are pollinated mainly by flies (nice)!
ReplyDeleteThe San Bushmen have long used it for treating indigestion and small infections. However, it is their centuries-old use of the meat of the plant, to suppress appetite when making long hunting trips in the Kalahari Desert, that has stimulated the most interest.
Nowadays this plant is big business in the world of dieting!
In 1977, the Council for Industrial and Scientific Research (CISR) isolated the ingredient in hoodia, now known as P57, which is responsible for its appetite-suppressant effect. They patented it in 1996.
However, the positive news is that in 2002 the CISR recognices 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 this plant. Hoodia is now a protected plant which may only be wild-harvested by individuals and the few companies who have been granted a license.