hoodia info

gfunkusarelius · 15th May 2006, 06:00 PM

is there a thread somewhere on here about hoodia that i am missing? i did a search and found two threads and the one that dealt directly with hoodia basically said it seemed pretty promising and was somehow owned by phizer. after the bazillion spam mails i get, i was expecting to see several long threads on here talking about it (and, being a skeptic, i assumed the consensus to be that it was a scam). are there tests underway? is this actually looking like it is safe?

This Guy · 16th May 2006, 09:11 AM

Might want to read this for some info -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoodia

ChristineR · 16th May 2006, 10:00 AM

Originally Posted by gfunkusarelius

is there a thread somewhere on here about hoodia that i am missing? i did a search and found two threads and the one that dealt directly with hoodia basically said it seemed pretty promising and was somehow owned by phizer. after the bazillion spam mails i get, i was expecting to see several long threads on here talking about it (and, being a skeptic, i assumed the consensus to be that it was a scam). are there tests underway? is this actually looking like it is safe?

I really don't know that much about it, but I do know this:

The bushmen eat a piece about the size and shape of a cucumber and it apparently does supress their appetite.

Hoodia is a pain to grow. It's a cactus. It's getting scarce in the wild.

Those little pills aren't even 100% Hoodia, so you'd have to take the whole bottle to get the cucumber dose.

None of the pills have any data to support that said pills do anything. They just quote the studies on the cucumber pieces.

No one has yet managed to synthesize the chemical in Hoodia that does its magic.

patnray · 16th May 2006, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by ChristineR

Hoodia is a pain to grow. It's a cactus. It's getting scarce in the wild.

Actually, it's a slow growing succulent that resembles a cactus.

It appears that there is some evidence that one ingredient (P57 or H57) does suppress appetite, although there are no published clinical studies. Specifically, there are no studies establishing the safety or proper dose. Pfizer attempted to develop it but was unable to synthesize P57 economically, so abandoned the effort. Because it is hard to grow, and is a protected species, the plant is expensive and most commercial products contain little P57.

Typically, because there are no proper clinical trials, there is no data on side effects, so companies marketing hoodia extracts can state that there are no known side effects. Phytopharm, which patented P57, claims to have an unpublished DBPC trial that shows it does suppress appetite. But they also claim there were NO reported side effects during their trial. In most trials even the subjects receiving the placebo report some side effects, so this claim seems a little unusual...

gfunkusarelius · 16th May 2006, 02:13 PM

well, based on the info i have received-

either hoodia is not an amazing uberdrug (otherwise phizer would not have given up so easily) or it is an amazing uberdrug that is so effective it would destroy the multi-billion dollar diet/exercise industry (hence phizer abandoned it to throw us all off..or something...i dont know, i'm not good at this CT stuff).

sounds like your pretty standard "it might help a little but really isnt worth our trouble since it might end up hurting more than it helps"

Abdul Alhazred · 16th May 2006, 03:29 PM

I heard it on the radio. It helps you lose weight.

Of course it works.

South African Bushmen use it. Ever seen a fat Bushman?

patnray · 16th May 2006, 04:49 PM

I don't think Pfizer abandoned it because they don't think it works. Pfizer spent 6 years trying to synthesize it. They realized that the plant grows too slowly in too limited an area to rely on extracting P57 from the plant for large scale distribution. Pfizer is too ethical a company to just put put a trace of hoodia in each bottle (unlike many suppliment companies). They walked away because they couldn't guarantee a sufficient supply to create a relaible product on a large enough scale.

15th May 2006, 06:00 PM	#1
gfunkusarelius Critical Thinker Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 436	hoodia info is there a thread somewhere on here about hoodia that i am missing? i did a search and found two threads and the one that dealt directly with hoodia basically said it seemed pretty promising and was somehow owned by phizer. after the bazillion spam mails i get, i was expecting to see several long threads on here talking about it (and, being a skeptic, i assumed the consensus to be that it was a scam). are there tests underway? is this actually looking like it is safe?

16th May 2006, 09:11 AM	#2
This Guy Graduate Poster Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: On the corner of WALK and DON'T WALK Posts: 1,939	Might want to read this for some info - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoodia
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16th May 2006, 10:00 AM	#3
ChristineR Illuminator Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 3,071	Originally Posted by gfunkusarelius is there a thread somewhere on here about hoodia that i am missing? i did a search and found two threads and the one that dealt directly with hoodia basically said it seemed pretty promising and was somehow owned by phizer. after the bazillion spam mails i get, i was expecting to see several long threads on here talking about it (and, being a skeptic, i assumed the consensus to be that it was a scam). are there tests underway? is this actually looking like it is safe? I really don't know that much about it, but I do know this: The bushmen eat a piece about the size and shape of a cucumber and it apparently does supress their appetite. Hoodia is a pain to grow. It's a cactus. It's getting scarce in the wild. Those little pills aren't even 100% Hoodia, so you'd have to take the whole bottle to get the cucumber dose. None of the pills have any data to support that said pills do anything. They just quote the studies on the cucumber pieces. No one has yet managed to synthesize the chemical in Hoodia that does its magic.
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16th May 2006, 11:06 AM	#4
patnray Graduate Poster Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 1,018	Originally Posted by ChristineR Hoodia is a pain to grow. It's a cactus. It's getting scarce in the wild. Actually, it's a slow growing succulent that resembles a cactus. It appears that there is some evidence that one ingredient (P57 or H57) does suppress appetite, although there are no published clinical studies. Specifically, there are no studies establishing the safety or proper dose. Pfizer attempted to develop it but was unable to synthesize P57 economically, so abandoned the effort. Because it is hard to grow, and is a protected species, the plant is expensive and most commercial products contain little P57. Typically, because there are no proper clinical trials, there is no data on side effects, so companies marketing hoodia extracts can state that there are no known side effects. Phytopharm, which patented P57, claims to have an unpublished DBPC trial that shows it does suppress appetite. But they also claim there were NO reported side effects during their trial. In most trials even the subjects receiving the placebo report some side effects, so this claim seems a little unusual...
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16th May 2006, 03:29 PM	#6
Abdul Alhazred Yes, that one. Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Chicago Posts: 4,503	I heard it on the radio. It helps you lose weight. Of course it works. South African Bushmen use it. Ever seen a fat Bushman?
	__________________ The lack of a rational explanation is not evidence for an irrational explanation. Last edited by Abdul Alhazred; 16th May 2006 at 03:56 PM.

16th May 2006, 02:13 PM	#5
gfunkusarelius Critical Thinker Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 436	well, based on the info i have received- either hoodia is not an amazing uberdrug (otherwise phizer would not have given up so easily) or it is an amazing uberdrug that is so effective it would destroy the multi-billion dollar diet/exercise industry (hence phizer abandoned it to throw us all off..or something...i dont know, i'm not good at this CT stuff). sounds like your pretty standard "it might help a little but really isnt worth our trouble since it might end up hurting more than it helps"

16th May 2006, 04:49 PM	#7
patnray Graduate Poster Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 1,018	I don't think Pfizer abandoned it because they don't think it works. Pfizer spent 6 years trying to synthesize it. They realized that the plant grows too slowly in too limited an area to rely on extracting P57 from the plant for large scale distribution. Pfizer is too ethical a company to just put put a trace of hoodia in each bottle (unlike many suppliment companies). They walked away because they couldn't guarantee a sufficient supply to create a relaible product on a large enough scale.
	__________________ Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali A powerful and moving story of a strong and courageous woman’s struggle to free herself from a culture that treats women as property. Despite repeated death threats from religious zealots, she campaigns tirelessly for the rights of Muslim women. A tearful, chilling, yet inspiring, tale of personal triumph and dedication to free expression.