News stories about hoodia gordonii have people searching for this natural appetite suppressant. The plant grows wild only in areas of southern Africa and is apparently relatively hard to cultivate. The San people of southern Africa reported that consumption of hoodia results in suppressed appetite. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa reported in 1963 that injecting lab animals with extracts of hoodia results in weight loss, but not due to any apparent toxic effect. A British pharmaceutical company heard about hoodia gordonii and began to investigate for themselves. They released results in 2001 of a clinical study of overweight volunteers who were given hoodia extract and the results were positive. There was a significant reduction in daily caloric intake and a significant reduction in body fat. In 2004, scientists at Brown University Medical School in Rhode Island reported that injecting laboratory rats with extract of hoodia results in increased levels of ATP, a neurotransmitter and cell energy source. Rats reduced their food intake over a 24 hour period by 40-60%.

Many people have questions about hoodia gordonii. The majority of questions are about safety and side effects. Many appetite suppressants contain stimulants and use of stimulants may result in unwanted side effects from sleeplessness to increased heart rate to, in the case of Ephedra, death. Apparently use of hoodia results in no unwanted side effects other than suppression of thirst, as well as hunger, which means that dieters need to be conscious of water consumption to avoid dehydration. The clinical studies by Phytopharm have not been completed at this time. Most information about hoodia gordonii comes from Phytopharm. There have been informal studies by interested doctors in the United States and no unwanted side effects have been reported. However, the importance of talking to one