Hoodia gordonii

Hoodia gordonii
Hoodia gordonii
Systematics
Family : Dog poison family (Apocynaceae) Subfamily : Silk plants (Asclepiadoideae) Tribe : Ceropegieae Sub tribus : Stapeliinae Genre : Hoodia Type : Hoodia gordonii
Scientific name
Hoodia gordonii
( Masson ) Sweet ex Decne.

Capsule fruit

Hoodia gordonii is a succulent plant from the subfamily of the silk plants (Asclepiadoideae). The species became known internationally through an advertising campaign that said the plant had an appetite suppressant effect. The effect could not be shown in scientific studies and consumer organizations strongly advise against taking it.

description

Hoodia gordonii is a perennial, thorny and leafless succulent plant , but not a cactus . Under ideal conditions, old specimens - up to 15 years in the wild - can grow to a meter tall, but they are usually significantly smaller. At the beginning, only one trunk is formed, but subsequently up to 50 branches that branch out on the ground can be formed. The cylindrical branches have a diameter of up to 5 cm.
In August and September terminal , or nearly terminal, very short-stalked inflorescences are formed, which consist of 1–4 flowers. The five-lobed flowers, with a diameter of 75 mm, are reminiscent of petunias . The flowers smell of rotting flesh and are mainly pollinated by flies. The first flowers are formed after about 5 years.

The up to 250 mm long capsule fruits are formed in October and November and the seeds are spread by the wind.

distribution

Hoodia gordonii grows scattered and fragmented in the semi-deserts of southern Africa; especially in South Africa ( Northern Cape and Western Cape ) and Namibia ( Kalahari - desert ), individual deposits exist in Angola and Botswana. The plant tolerates temperatures between −3 ° C and 40 ° C and grows on both sandy and stony ground.

Species protection

Hoodia gordonii is legally protected in South Africa ; The entire Hoodia genus was placed under species protection internationally in 2004 (13th Conference of the Parties to the Washington Convention on the Protection of Species ). Whole plants as well as parts and products from them (e.g. pharmaceutical products / food supplements) may only be traded if a nature-friendly origin can be proven. Violations of the existing export or import permit requirement can result in fines and even criminal proceedings. Even in intra-European trade, both the seller and the buyer must be able to prove that the product or the processed plant has reached the EU with the stated permits. This also applies to purchases via the Internet, especially if the shipment comes from a non-EU country. Products that contain Hoodia gordonii belong to the species protection objects that are most frequently confiscated by customs in Austria.

Medical use

Traditional use

The Khoisan in southern Africa call the plant "Kowa". They used Hoodia gordonii for its hunger-relieving effects. In times of need and during long hunting trips, on which the hunters did not eat the game themselves, but traditionally brought it back to their village, the Khoisan are said to have satiated hunger and thirst for days with the slightly bitter scion pieces of hoodia .

Research and Patenting

In 1977 scientists from the South African Research Advisory Board for Science and Industry ( CSIR ) extracted an active ingredient from Hoodia gordonii which is known today as P57. This active ingredient is a steroid glycoside , 3-O- [β-D-thevetopyranosyl- (1 → 4) -β-D-cymaropyranosyl- (1 → 4) -β-D-cymaropyranosyl] -12β-O-tigloyloxy-14- hydroxy-14β-pregn-5-en-20-one. The active ingredient was patented in 1996. The following year the British pharmaceutical company Phytopharm acquired the license. Phytopharm partnered with Pfizer to further analyze and synthesize the extract. In 2002, Pfizer withdrew because the synthesis was too complex and components of the active ingredient obviously had harmful side effects on the liver that could not be removed.

Also in 2002, with the help of the terre des hommes partner WIMSA (working group for indigenous minorities in southern Africa) and the South African WIMSA human rights lawyer Roger Chennels, the African Khoisan succeeded in suing for a share of the profits (0.003% of the net profit) in the marketing of Hoodia from Pfizer / Phytopharm . The goal was to share about 100,000 Khoi-San in the profits as soon as the active ingredient "P 57" comes onto the market.

In December 2004 Phytopharm signed a license agreement and a contract for joint research into the plant with the Dutch-British consumer goods company Unilever . In 2008 Unilever terminated the contracts after the company had already invested 20 million euros in the research and in 2010 Phytopharm handed over the patent rights to South Africa . In 2011 the clinical study that led to the decision was published. This proves that the active ingredient has the same effect as a placebo .

Marketing as a dietary supplement

Since it was patented in 1996, there have been isolated reports of Hoodia gordonii and its alleged effects. On November 21, 2004, however, the plant became known to a broad American public through a television broadcast. As a result, a large number of companies produced nutritional supplements containing the plant. They were called dietary supplements because they are subject to less control and no clinical studies on effectiveness need to be submitted. Due to the suddenly strong demand, the population of the species fell sharply and the availability of the plant was not always given. In 50% of the products offered, the ingredient could not be detected. Marketing is not as intense as it was a few years ago, but diet supplements containing Hoodia gordonii are still being advertised and sold as diet pills, despite scientific refutation. Consumer organizations strongly advise against taking it.

Web links

Commons : Hoodia gordonii  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Regulations for trade in protected species. Homepage Federal Agency for Nature Conservation
• EU species protection regulation. (PDF) (Hoodia listed on p. 76) (pdf; 391 kB)
• Entry in the EU NovelFood catalog

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} A. M. Wendy u. a .: Effects of 15-d repeated consumption of Hoodia gordonii purified extract on safety, ad libitum energy intake, and body weight in healthy, overweight women: a randomized controlled trial. In: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (Am J Clin Nutr.) November 2011, Volume 94, No. 5, pp. 1171–1181, doi: 10.3945 / ajcn.111.020321 ( full text as PDF file; accessed on November 23, 2015 )
2. ↑ Consumer advice center NRW: Hoodia: Danger to health and the environment - as of: 12.01.2017 [1]  ; accessed on July 10, 2018
3. ^ Ian Oliver ( Karoo Desert National Botanical Gardens ): Hoodia gordonii (Masson) Sweet ex Decne. On: plantzafrica.com from July 2005; last accessed on November 25, 2015.
4. ↑ Hoodia 'Asclepiadaceae (Aucton Decesna). In: Augustin Pyramus de Candolle : Prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis, sive, Enumeratio contracta ordinum generum specierumque plantarum huc usque cognitarium, juxta methodi naturalis, normas digesta auctore Aug. Pyramo de Candolle. Volume 8, Sumptibus Sociorum Treuttel et Würtz, Paris 1844, p. 665 ( digitization on: biodiversitylibrary.org of November 20, 2015; accessed on November 23, 2015 ).
5. ↑ Elsabe Swart: Hoodia gordonii in South Africa. NDF workshop in Cancun; WG3 – Succulents and Cycads, Case Study 6, 2008 ( full text as PDF file , accessed on November 23, 2015).
6. ↑ Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (Austria): Statistics: Annual data on the import, export and re-export of CITES-listed specimens. (Confiscations in Austria) On: bmlfuw.gv.at from June 1, 2015; last accessed on November 25, 2015.
7. ↑ DB MacLean, LG Luo: Increased ATP content / production in the hypothalamus may be a signal for energy-sensing of satiety: studies of the anorectic mechanism of a plant steroidal glycoside. In: Brain research. Volume 1020, No. 1–2, September 2004, pp. 1–11, ISSN  0006-8993 , doi : 10.1016 / j.brainres.2004.04.041 , PMID 15312781 .
8. ^ Robyn Dixon: Hoodia fever takes a toll on rare plant . In: Los Angeles Times, December 26, 2006; last accessed on November 25, 2015.
9. ^ Joan Morris: Little research behind claims that hoodia is safe, effective for losing weight . In: Seattle Times . dated March 9, 2006; accessed on November 23, 2015.
10. ↑ Jasjit Bindra: A Popular Pill's Hidden Danger . In: The New York Times, April 26, 2005; accessed on November 23, 2015.
11. ↑ on patent issues ( Memento of the original from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)  
12. ↑ Shane Starling: Why Unilever canned € 20m hoodia project: Newly published study disappoints . On: nutraingredients.com of October 18, 2011; accessed on November 23, 2015.
13. ↑ Tom Mangold (BBC Correspondent ): Sampling the Kalahari Hoodia diet . On: bbc.co.uk of May 30, 2003; last accessed on November 25, 2015.
14. ↑ Lesley Stahl: African Plant May Help Fight Fat . CBS News 60 Minutes On: cbsnews.com from 2004; last accessed on November 25, 2015.
15. ↑ Danylo Hawaleshka: Hoodia love: An appetite suppressant used by Bushmen is the world's newest fad. On: macleans.ca from August 3, 2005 ( Memento from October 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
16. ^ Lick Away Weight with Power Pops . On: extratv.warnerbros.com of May 30, 2006; Retrieved November 25, 2015.
17. ↑ Erika Engelhaupt: But do Hoodia diet pills actually work? Diet miracle from an African plant is a spam special . In: The Philadelphia Inquirer of July 9, 2006. ( Memento of July 13, 2006 on the Internet Archive )
18. ↑ Consumer advice center NRW: Hoodia: Danger to health and the environment - as of: 12.01.2017 [2]  ; accessed on July 10, 2018

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !