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health advisory Hospital Alternative Medicine 2007-11-16 3:12:09

Answer:

Dangerous. It's unproven and the long-term effects are unknown. People think that because it's herb-like that it's safe.

Wrong.

If you want to lose weight, watch your diet, eat fruits and veggies, drink water, learn why you overeat and exercise.

Some pill isn't going to solve your problems. Sorry.

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I like to smoke it.

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hoodia does indeed diminish appetite. But since most folks in this country are overweight because they eat for emotional reasons, appetite rarely is the problem.

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I dont have an Idea of who or what it is

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The use of Hoodia has long been known by the indigenous populations of Southern Africa, who infrequently use these plants for treating indigestion and small infections.

In 1977, the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) isolated the ingredient in hoodia - now known as P57 - which is responsible for its appetite-suppressant effect, and patented it in 1996. The CSIR then granted United Kingdom-based Phytopharm a license, and they collaborated with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer to isolate active ingredients from the extracts and look into synthesizing them for use as an appetite suppressant. Pfizer released the rights to the primary ingredient in 2002. Paul Hutson, associate professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, told the Wisconsin State Journal, "For Pfizer to release something dealing with obesity suggests to me that they felt there was no merit to its oral use". Pfizer states that development on P57, the active ingredient of Hoodia, was stopped due to the difficulty of synthesizing P57. Jasjit Bindra, lead researcher for hoodia at Pfizer, states there were indications of unwanted effects on the liver caused by other components, which could not be easily removed from the supplement, adding "Clearly, hoodia has a long way to go before it can earn approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Until safer formulations are developed, dieters should be wary of using it."