06-16-2008

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Eastern North Carolina warns consumers to approach enticing job offers cautiously. Recent complaints have surfaced regarding e-mail scams blending job opportunities and economic stimulus checks being distributed by the government.

In the June 2008 consumer alerts, BBB counsels consumers that they could potentially receive an e-mail from someone inviting them to become a distributor for flat screen televisions. When the consumer responds, the scammer claims to work for the U.S. government and states that this is part of the new “Stimulus Program.” The consumer then receives a fraudulent check that looks exactly like a U.S. Treasury refund check, with instructions to cash the check, keep a portion for set-up and wire the rest back to the sender.

“Consumers should be weary of any business opportunity received through e-mail or other means which requires the recipient to cash a check and then wire funds back,” says Beverly Baskin, president and CEO of the BBB of Eastern North Carolina.

Consumers should be cautious of business opportunities advertised through e-mail, and any that require such outlandish activities in order to “receive” anything. Visit bbb.org for more information.

About BBB of Eastern North Carolina:
The Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina is a 501 (c)(6) not-for-profit corporation serving 33 counties in Eastern North Carolina. The organization is funded primarily by BBB Accredited Business fees from more than 3,200 local business and professional firms. The BBB promotes integrity, consumer confidence and business ethics through business self-regulation in the local marketplace. Services provided by the BBB include, reports on companies and charitable organizations, general monitoring of advertising in the marketplace, dispute resolution services, and consumer/business education programs. All services are provided at no cost to the public, with the occasional exception of mediation and arbitration. Visit bbb.org.

CONSUMER ALERTS FOR JUNE 2008

In an effort to keep the media and public informed, the Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina offers monthly BBB Consumer Alerts as potential story or interview ideas. Readers should take into consideration the importance of the practice in question and the total performance of a company. This list is current as of release date. Information regarding business or consumer topics reported here can be obtained through the BBB office by contacting info@raleigh.bbb.org.

Counterfeit U.S. Treasury checks are arriving in mailboxes. The scam works like this: A consumer gets an e-mail from someone inviting them to become a distributor for flat screen TVs. If the consumer responds, the sender of the e-mail (the scammer) claims to work for the U.S. government and claims that this is all part of the “Stimulus Program.” He is even going to send a check to help get things set up. The check, usually written for around $8,900, looks just like a U.S. Treasury refund check. The consumer is instructed to cash the check, deposit most of it, keep some for set-up and wire the rest back to the “U.S. government official.” The check is counterfeit! Don’t fall for this crazy scam!

St. Matthews Church (not to be confused with actual local churches by the same name) sent out another mass mailing, including the “anointed prayer rug.” This organization has chosen not to make available complete annual financial statements, nor has it provided an annual report that includes mission, programs, officers and board. The church annually sends millions of pieces of religious mail nationwide. The mailing indicates the ministry of the church will pray for individuals who send their offerings. St. Matthews Church is not a recognized charity.

Icon Marketing appears to be going through neighborhoods looking for signs indicating the home is protected by a security company. The Icon representative approaches residents stating he is with the homeowner’s current alarm company and wants to “update” the system. One consumer agreed, and then later found she had unknowingly switched her service to Icon. This Utah company has the BBB’s lowest rating.

Better Trades.com advertises on TV, inviting consumers to free seminars that will help them to trade in the stock market without risk. The company actually sells online trading workshops. Complainants allege selling practice misrepresentation. This Las Vegas company has an unsatisfactory record with the BBB.

Physical Enhancement Labs sells products online under names such as Hoodia Fusion, Diet Pills USA and C & F Fulfillment Center. When one consumer took advantage of their “free trial offer,” she received the product but also a bill for the full price. This seems to be a common practice with this company. More than 940 complaints (approximately 450 in the past year) have been filed against this Oklahoma City company, and they have an unsatisfactory record with the BBB.

Longwood Industries offers auto Internet advertising. When a consumer placed an ad in a newspaper to sell her car, Longwood called her and offered to list her car on their Web site for $150. The consumer called the BBB first and found out this Virginia company has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB. More than 100 complaints have been filled against the company, with most involving failure to honor their money-back guarantee.

Free Medicine Direct provides information on how consumers can apply to pharmaceutical companies for free prescription drugs. The fee for this service is $199. Most of the 160 plus complaints filed through the BBB against this Florida company involve refund issues and selling practices. Free Medicine has the BBB’s lowest rating. Consumers meeting certain financial criteria may obtain free prescriptions through drug manufacturers.

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Alexia Miller

Is your no carb, low sodium, fat-free diet keeping your stomach full and your weight low? If not, there is another alternative to losing weight. A cactus-like plant grown exclusively in South Africa is the new weight loss supplement of choice for people who overeat. The plant is called hoodia gordonii, or more commonly, hoodia. It is the miracle plant women have dreamed about that not only curbs your appetite, but also keeps you from even thinking about food. The plant’s popularity and media coverage has turned it into the latest diet product called Hoodia. The real question is does it work? Read on to learn more.

What is hoodia?
The plant hoodia looks like a cactus (but is actually a succulent) with light purple flowers. It grows exclusively in South Africa and takes about five years to mature, classifying it as one of the rarest plants in the world .

There are 20 types of hoodia but only hoodia gordonii contains the chemical p57, found in the meat of the plant, that suppresses the appetite. The San Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert have been consuming hoodia for hundreds of years, finding it helpful when they go on long hunting trips with little sustenance. The Bushmen eat the plant to control their appetite and thirst. They also found hoodia effective in treating abdominal cramps, hemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, hypertension and diabetes.

How did hoodia hit the market?
In 1977, the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) the chemical p57 and patented it in 1996. CSIR sold the rights to Phytopharm, a United Kingdom-based company who then, in collaboration with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, worked on commercializing the extract.

In 2004, 60 Minutes’ correspondent Leslie Stahl traveled to South Africa to test the effectiveness of this miracle plant for the show. Stahl described hoodia as “a little cucumbery in texture, but not bad.”

She concluded that the plant worked as an appetite suppressant with no side effects whatsoever. Since then, media coverage and consumer demand has expanded the market for hoodia, resulting in hoodia sprays, extracts, gums, patches and teas, found in stores nationwide.

How does hoodia work?
As mentioned above, the active ingredient in hoodia is p57, a chemical similar to glucose but purported to be 100,000 times more powerful.

When ingested, p57 is released into the satiety center of the brain and tricks the hypothalamus into thinking you are full. Usually, cells notify your brain that the blood sugar levels are good when you really are full, and sends the message to stop eating. Your hunger center kicks in when your blood sugar levels fall, signaling you need to eat. Hoodia overpowers this stimulus and not only suppresses your appetite, but it keeps your brain from even thinking about food.

For best results, experts recommend consuming the liquid extract over the pill form because it absorbs more readily into the body and its biochemical potency is higher.

But, does it work?
“We have no hard data but the majority of people have had success with it,” says a HoodiThin sales representative. That seems to be the case with most users.

Lucy,* a consumer from Canada, has been using Hoodia Millenium for over a month and is thrilled with the results. “I have changed my eating habits tremendously, and also incorporated exercise,” she says. Hoodia has led to positive lifestyle changes for her.

There are a lot of anecdotal success stories but, like most diet products, there is no significant scientific research to support the hoodia weight loss and appetite suppressant claims. Perhaps that will change.

And perhaps the success of hoodia is the power of suggestion or a placebo effect. People are told they will not be hungry if they take hoodia so they believe they aren’t hungry. You decide.

Where is hoodia sold?
Hoodia products are sprouting up in pharmacies and nutrition stores everywhere but buyer beware. Hoodia is expensive, so expect to pay between $35 to $65 per bottle. However, be sure to read the labels, many hoodia products may have only 30 percent hoodia and are not worth your money.

Here are some tips for purchasing quality hoodia:

1. Read the label. The most important thing to look for is an independent lab report and certification (C.I.T.E.S.) and make sure the label says 100 percent hoodia with no other fillers listed in the ingredients.

2. Avoid megadoses. Avoid products that claim mega amounts of hoodia per dose. You can get sick if you consume over 800 milligrams of pure hoodia at one time.

3. Form matters. Hoodia experts warn not use hoodia in the forms of patches, teas, shakes and gum. They say it is not worth your money

4. You get what you pay for. Real hoodia is sold to companies for $250 to $400 per kilogram, so any product under $35 likely has a lower percentage of hoodia per dose than purer, more expensive forms.

5. Free trials are likely a scam. Look out for “free trial” scams on the Internet. There is always a chance that if you accept the offer, your credit card will be charged monthly without you initiating a purchase (many of these “free trials” require a verbal or written cancellation).

6. Keep this checklist handy. When you purchase hoodia, be sure to get the customer service toll free number to ask questions and place orders, company address, proof of independent testing of their products for purity and contaminants, and a defined refund policy.

7. Do your research. Contact companies selling hoodia to get more information before you buy. And learn as much as you can about the different hoodia products. For a comparative list of the top ten most popular hoodia products visit ResearchHoodia.info

Are There Any Side Effects?
According to Leslie Stahl of 60 Minutes, there were no side effects. She said there was “no funny taste in her mouth, no queasy stomach and no raising heart.” And pharmaceutical companies also claim that there are no side effects. However, the only disclaimer is to not exceed dosages over 800 milligrams.

Though hoodia has been around for thousands of years, it is the latest craze in diet products now. This plant is recommended for people who overeat and need to control their appetite between meals. Decide for yourself if hoodia is right for you. However, as with any good diet intentions, don’t get carried away - be sure to maintain three balanced meals a day.

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By Lorraine Heller

15-May-2008 - A petition seeking to classify all weight loss claims as drug claims highlights the major ingredients used in weight loss supplements, and maintains that these are not sufficiently substantiated, that they are ineffective, or that they are linked to adverse effects.

Filed by drug company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) together with the American Dietetic Association and a number of obesity organizations, the petition aims to eliminate the weight loss category from the dietary supplement market.

In the third in a series of articles on the issue, NutraIngredients-USA.com examines the ingredients highlighted by the petition, which include bitter orange, chromium, guar gum, hoodia, garcinia, CLA, pyruvate and chitosan.

The slimming ingredients market can be divided into five groups based on the mechanisms of action: increasing energy expenditure; modulating carbohydrate metabolism; increasing satiety or suppressing appetite; increasing fat oxidation or reducing fat synthesis; and blocking dietary fat absorption.

Below is what the GSK petition claims about different ingredients in these categories. All references to studies can be found in the original petition (click here).

Increasing energy expenditure

Bitter orange

Bitter orange has gained in profile since ephedra was banned by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004 as it contains similar compounds and has been favored by dietary supplement manufacturers as an ephedra substitute.

The active ingredient in bitter orange is believed to be synephrine - a sympathomimetic amine that is structurally similar to epinephrine.

According to the petition, there is "little evidence" that bitter orange is effective in weight loss. The petition cites two studies in support of this.

In addition, the petitioners claim that bitter orange may have adverse effects similar to ephedra, including increased heart rate, blood pressure, and the risk of cardiac complications.

Modulating carbohydrate metabolism

Chromium

Chromium picolinate is a naturally occurring derivative of tryptophan that is thought to promote weight loss by optimizing insulin signaling.

The petition states that "insufficient evidence exists" to support the effectiveness of chromium, and many studies yielded "inconsistent results," were "poorly designed," and reported benefits that were refuted by other reports.

"The results of other studies, including three randomized clinical trials, did not show any differences in weight loss between treatment and control groups."

Increasing satiety or suppressing appetite

Guar gum

Guar gum is a dietary fiber derived from the Indian cluster bean. Soluble fiber is believed to absorb water within the gut, thereby causing increased satiety and lower caloric intake.

"The efficacy of this supplement was assessed in a meta-analysis of 20 double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials. That meta-analysis indicated that guar gum is 'not effective' in reducing body weight. The consistency of the results among the individual trials confirmed the overall conclusion of this meta-analysis. Other studies have reported adverse gastrointestinal events associated with guar gum," states the petition.
Hoodia

An extract from the South African plant Hoodia gordonii, licensed by drug firm Phytopharm, is thought to cause neurons within the satiety center of the hypothalamus to fire rapidly and thereby suppress appetite.

The petition states: "While certain animal studies involving [this extract] have been published, there does not appear to be any publications in peer-reviewed journals involving human trials with Hoodia extract. As a result, there is no credible scientific support for the efficacy of weight loss supplements containing Hoodia extracts."


Increasing fat oxidation or reducing fat synthesis

Garcinia

Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is contained within extracts of the fruit rind of Garcinia cambogia, a tree species native to India.

"HCA has been shown to inhibit citrate cleavage enzyme and suppress fatty acid synthesis. Nevertheless, clinical data to suggest that HCA may help in weight loss are 'inconsistent' and most of the clinical studies are 'confounded by methodological flaws'," writes the petition.

"Where there has been a randomized, double blind clinical trial involving HCA, it found no significantly greater weight loss in the treatment group than in the placebo group."

CLA

Conjugated Linolenic Acid, or CLA, is a group of linoleic acid derivatives produced by bacteria in the gut of ruminant animals and believed to inhibit lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme that breaks down fat for absorption.

"Data from human studies involving CLA are 'equivocal and uncompelling'," writes the petition. "Several studies have found no changes in body weight or BMI."

"Moreover, based on an analysis of the results from 13 randomized, controlled trials, investigators reported that there is little evidence to suggest that CLA helps reduce body weight. The authors of this study also reported that CLA may promote liver hypertrophy and insulin resistance, and therefore, may have adverse effects."

Pyruvate
This three carbon ketoacid is created in the body during glycolysis. Pyruvate
is believed to manipulate fat metabolism by increasing fat oxidation and decreasing carbohydrate oxidation.
"Some studies have reportedly shown positive results with pyruvate but they had small sample sizes with short treatment periods, and patients greatly restricted their caloric intake during the study period. On the other hand, two double blind randomized clinical trials involving patients with a BMI greater than 25 found no significantly greater effects on weight reduction than were seen with placebo," states the petition.

The results of these 'rigorous clinical trials' have led investigators to conclude that the case for pyruvate as an aid to weight loss is 'weak', it added.

Blocking dietary fat absorption

Chitosan

Chitosan is a cationic polysaccharide derived from chitin harvested from the
exoskeleton of crustaceans .

The petition states: "Several studies involving well-designed, randomized controlled trials have failed to show any differences in weight loss.' Moreover, to the very limited extent that other studies may suggest efficacy for chitosan, investigators found 'serious methodological limitations of the clinical evidence' and results that were 'conflicting and short-term' and based on 'poorly designed studies'."

"One report declared that 'claims that chitosan is a fat-trapping weight-loss aid are not merely unsubstantiated, they are false.' Thus, there is also 'considerable doubt' that chitosan is effective in reducing body weight in humans."

More weight loss focus

In further articles in this series, NutraIngredients-USA.com will examine industry's response to the petition. We will also provide an overview of the weight loss market, and the drug-supplement conflict.

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Made popular by such celebrities as Oprah Winfrey and by television shows such as 60 Minutes, Hoodia Gordonii is gaining widespread attention as an all natural weight loss supplement. But what exactly is Hoodia Gordonii and how does it aid in weight loss?

Understanding Hoodia Gordonii

Hoodia Gordonii is a plant very similar in appearance to the cactus which grows mainly in southern Africa. The six foot plant, which is native to the Kalahari Desert, has been used for hundreds of years by the indigenous people of Southern Africa to quench thirst and to suppress appetite on long trips across the desert.

In recent times, clinical trials done by drug giant Pfizer and others have emerged indicating Hoodia as a powerful weight loss supplement. In one such study conducted in the UK, one group of volunteers was given a placebo while another group of volunteers was given an extract of Hoodia Gordonii. Both groups were then sent home and told to go about their lives as they normally would. Two weeks later, results showed that the group that was given the Hoodia extract reduced their caloric intake by 1,000 calories per day with no extra effort whatsoever. This study, and others like it, concluded that Hoodia Gordonii helps dieters lose weight by suppressing the appetite.

Tip! There are many kinds of hoodia plant, but only the hoodia gordonii species contains the weight loss active ingredient everybody is looking for.

How Hoodia Gordonii Works

Studies done on Hoodia shows that it contains natural substances which, when ingested, causes your brain to think that you are full and eliminates the desire to eat. This makes Hoodia a powerful appetite suppressant and an excellent addition to any weight loss program.

Why Hoodia Liquid Works Best

In order for Hoodia Pills to work they must go through your digestive system. Not only does it take the hoodia pills longer to reach your bloodstream then a liquid does, but your digestive juices attack the hoodia losing some of the potency. With a liquid the absorption rate is 95 - 98%, while with pills it is only 2 - 20% maximum. Pills are also sometimes hard to swallow but a liquid hoodia can be taken by putter a dropper full under your tongue or mixing in a glass of water or juice. Plus liquid hoodia also tastes good.

Tip! The active ingredient in the Hoodia Gordonii concentrate which is harvested from the cactus is a molecule dubbed the 'P57' molecule, which activates chemicals in the brain signifying fullness and telling our bodies to stop eating.

You can easily see why the hoodia liquid is clearly the better choice.

Making Hoodia Gordonii Part Of Your Weight Loss Program

While Hoodia Gordonii shows a lot of promise as a powerful appetite suppressant, it is important to note that there is no magical solution when it comes to weight loss. An intelligent weight loss program should be combined with sensible changes in your lifestyle that include moderate exercise such as strength training which builds strength and endurance.

Additionally, attention should be paid to your diet and care should be taken to avoid foods that are high in sugars such as potatoes, baked goods, candy and other types of sugar containing foods.

Tip! One need not stick to selected food stuffs for consuming Hoodia diet pills.(You can eat almost anything along with these pills).

Healthy, wholesome foods should make up your diet which includes unsaturated fats from olive oil and canola oil, for example, and omega-3 rich oils found in fish and other seafood.

Moreover, healthy weight loss should never go over two pounds per week. If you are on a weight loss program that goes beyond that, it is likely to include loss of muscle and bone density. While it may be easier to lose muscle mass and bone density, it is a lot harder to gain it back. A loss of bone density can lead to fractures, injuries and more serious illnesses such as osteoporosis. It is for this reason, therefore, that most dieticians suggest that weight loss should not go over more than two pounds of body fat per week in order to avoid the loss of muscle mass.

Additionally, full hydration during any weight loss program is essential especially while taking a supplement like Hoodia Gordonii because, in addition to suppressing the appetite, it will also eliminate your thirst as well.

Patricia has been interested in Health & Fitness since the early 70's and knows how to separate hype from fact.

Before trying any Hoodia Supplements, make sure you read and know what you're dealing with. Diet supplements can be confusing, so go directly to the source for unbiased research and information about all Diet Supplements, including Hoodia.

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You might have come across the name everywhere. Hoodia Gordonii has taken the weight-loss world by surprise. It has been touted as the best miracle weight-loss pill; it is now being put into ‘all in one’ from multivitamins to TrimSpa.

How does it function?

Well, the Hoodia Diet Supplement has been shown to have some specific effects in the area of weight-loss. Still before running out to buy the latest Gordonii pill from your drug store, try to know certain things.

Here are three groundbreaking ways Hoodia Gordonii helps you to lose your weight.

i) Gordonii makes You Physically Less Hungry. Pure Hoodia contains a molecule called ‘P57’ which, scientists believe, is responsible for making you feel full. Normally, when you eat food, this food turns to glucose. When the glucose level in your body increases, Hoodia sends signals to your brain that you are full.

ii) Hoodia, the magic pill turns off the desire to overeat. Reports show that Hoodia not only makes you feel full, but it also slows down the desire to eat. You know that, people can feel physically fulfilled but still eat for a bundle of reasons like timing, emotions and social influence. In fact emotional eating is actually responsible for more overeating than physical hunger. Genuine Hoodia pill can help you lose weight by slaking this desire to eat and breaking the emotional attachment to food.

iii) By turning off your appetite, the hoodia diet supplement allows you to make rational, healthy food choices. It bears the pain of building new healthier eating habits in you. Since you probably don't want to be on Hoodia product forever, this is a great way to lose weight and transition your eating to a healthier, lighter diet - with less pain and deprivation.

Those are three diet patches that work with Hoodia Gordonii to help you lose weight and reach your goals. Make sure you follow these suggestions and you'll be well on your way to weight-loss success.

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(CBS) Each year, people spend more than $40 billion on products designed to help them slim down. None of them seem to be working very well.

Now along comes hoodia. Never heard of it? Soon it'll be tripping off your tongue, because hoodia is a natural substance that literally takes your appetite away.

It's very different from diet stimulants like Ephedra and Phenfen that are now banned because of dangerous side effects. Hoodia doesn't stimulate at all. Scientists say it fools the brain by making you think you’re full, even if you've eaten just a morsel. Correspondent Lesley Stahl reports.

"Hoodia, a plant that tricks the brain by making the stomach feel full, has been in the diet of South Africa's Bushmen for thousands of years."

Because the only place in the world where hoodia grows wild is in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa.

Nigel Crawhall, a linguist and interpreter, hired an experienced tracker named Toppies Kruiper, a local aboriginal Bushman, to help find it. The Bushmen were featured in the movie “The Gods Must Be Crazy.”

Kruiper led 60 Minutes crews out into the desert. Stahl asked him if he ate hoodia. "I really like to eat them when the new rains have come," says Kruiper, speaking through the interpreter. "Then they're really quite delicious."

When we located the plant, Kruiper cut off a stalk that looked like a small spiky pickle, and removed the sharp spines. In the interest of science, Stahl ate it. She described the taste as "a little cucumbery in texture, but not bad."

So how did it work? Stahl says she had no after effects – no funny taste in her mouth, no queasy stomach, and no racing heart. She also wasn't hungry all day, even when she would normally have a pang around mealtime. And, she also had no desire to eat or drink the entire day. "I'd have to say it did work," says Stahl.

Although the West is just discovering hoodia, the Bushmen of the Kalahari have been eating it for a very long time. After all, they have been living off the land in southern Africa for more than 100,000 years.

Some of the Bushmen, like Anna Swartz, still live in old traditional huts, and cook so-called Bush food gathered from the desert the old-fashioned way.

The first scientific investigation of the plant was conducted at South Africa’s national laboratory. Because Bushmen were known to eat hoodia, it was included in a study of indigenous foods.

"What they found was when they fed it to animals, the animals ate it and lost weight," says Dr. Richard Dixey, who heads an English pharmaceutical company called Phytopharm that is trying to develop weight-loss products based on hoodia.

Was hoodia's potential application as an appetite suppressant immediately obvious?

"No, it took them a long time. In fact, the original research was done in the mid 1960s," says Dixey.

It took the South African national laboratory 30 years to isolate and identify the specific appetite-suppressing ingredient in hoodia. When they found it, they applied for a patent and licensed it to Phytopharm.

Phytopharm has spent more than $20 million so far on research, including clinical trials with obese volunteers that have yielded promising results. Subjects given hoodia ended up eating about 1,000 calories a day less than those in the control group. To put that in perspective, the average American man consumes about 2,600 calories a day; a woman about 1,900.

"If you take this compound every day, your wish to eat goes down. And we've seen that very, very dramatically," says Dixey.

But why do you need a patent for a plant? "The patent is on the application of the plant as a weight-loss material. And, of course, the active compounds within the plant. It’s not on the plant itself," says Dixey.

So no one else can use hoodia for weight loss? "As a weight-management product without infringing the patent, that’s correct," says Dixey.

But what does that say about all these weight-loss products that claim to have hoodia in it? Trimspa says its X32 pills contain 75 mg of hoodia. The company is pushing its product with an ad campaign featuring Anna Nicole Smith, even though the FDA has notified Trimspa that it hasn’t demonstrated that the product is safe.

Some companies have even used the results of Phytopharm’s clinical tests to market their products.

"This is just straightforward theft. That’s what it is. People are stealing data, which they haven’t done, they’ve got no proper understanding of, and sticking on the bottle," says Dixey. "When we have assayed these materials, they contain between 0.1 and 0.01 percent of the active ingredient claimed. But they use the term hoodia on the bottle, of course, so they -- does nothing at all."

But Dixey isn’t the only one who’s felt ripped off. The Bushmen first heard the news about the patent when Phytopharm put out a press release. Roger Chennells, a lawyer in South Africa who represents the Bushmen, who are also called “the San,” was appalled.

"The San did not even know about it," says Chennells. "They had given the information that led directly toward the patent."

The taking of traditional knowledge without compensation is called “bio-piracy.”

"You have said, and I'm going to quote you, 'that the San felt as if someone had stolen the family silver,'" says Stahl to Chennells. "So what did you do?"

"I wouldn't want to go into some of the details as to what kind of letters were written or what kind of threats were made," says Chennells. "We engaged them. They had done something wrong, and we wanted them to acknowledge it."

Chennells was determined to help the Bushmen who, he says, have been exploited for centuries. First they were pushed aside by black tribes. Then, when white colonists arrived, they were nearly annihilated.

"About the turn of the century, there were still hunting parties in Namibia and in South Africa that allowed farmers to go and kill Bushmen," says Chennells. "It's well documented."

The Bushmen are still stigmatized in South Africa, and plagued with high unemployment, little education, and lots of alcoholism. And now, it seemed they were about to be cut out of a potential windfall from hoodia. So Chennells threatened to sue the national lab on their behalf.

"We knew that if it was successful, many, many millions of dollars would be coming towards the San," says Chennells. "Many, many millions. They've talked about the market being hundreds and hundreds of millions in America."
In the end, a settlement was reached. The Bushmen will get a percentage of the profits -- if there are profits. But that’s a big if.

The future of hoodia is not yet a sure thing. The project hit a major snag last year. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which had teamed up with Phytopharm, and funded much of the research, dropped out when making a pill out of the active ingredient seemed beyond reach.

Dixey says it can be made synthetically: "We've made milligrams of it. But it's very expensive. It's not possible to make it synthetically in what’s called a scaleable process. So we couldn’t make a metric ton of it or something that is the sort of quantity you’d need to actually start doing something about obesity in thousands of people."

Phytopharm decided to market hoodia in its natural form, in diet shakes and bars. That meant it needed the hoodia plant itself.

But given the obesity epidemic in the United States, it became obvious that what was needed was a lot of hoodia - much more than was growing in the wild in the Kalahari. And so they came here.

60 Minutes visited one of Phytopharm’s hoodia plantations in South Africa. They’ll need a lot of these plantations to meet the expected demand.

Agronomist Simon MacWilliam has a tall order: grow a billion portions a year of hoodia, within just a couple of years. He admitted that starting up the plantation has been quite a challenge.

"The problem is we’re dealing with a novel crop. It’s a plant we’ve taken out of the wild and we’re starting to grow it,' says MacWilliam. "So we have no experience. So it’s different— diseases and pests which we have to deal with."

How confident are they that they will be able to grow enough? "We're very confident of that," he says. "We've got an expansion program which is going to be 100s of acres. And we'll be able – ready to meet the demand.

This could be huge, given the obesity epidemic. Phytopharm says it’s about to announce marketing plans that will have meal-replacement hoodia products on supermarket shelves by 2008.

MacWilliam says these products are a slightly different species from the hoodia Stahl tasted in the Kalahari Desert. "It's actually a lot more bitter than the plant that you tasted," says MacWilliam.

The advantage is this species of hoodia will grow a lot faster. But more bitter? How bad could it be? Stahl decided to find out. "Not good," she says.

Phytopharm says that when its product gets to market, it will be certified safe and effective. They also promise that it’ll taste good.

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What you need to know about hoodia gordonii

Hoodia gordonii (pronounced HOO-dee-ah) is also called hoodia, xhooba, !khoba, Ghaap, hoodia cactus, and South African desert cactus.

Hoodia is a cactus that's causing a stir for its ability to suppress appetite and promote weight loss. 60 Minutes, ABC, and the BBC have all done stories on hoodia. Hoodia is sold in capsule, liquid, or tea form in health food stores and on the Internet. Hoodia gordonii can be found in the semi-deserts of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola. Hoodia grows in clumps of green upright stems and is actually a succulent, not a cactus. It takes about 5 years before hoodia's pale purple flowers appear and the cactus can be harvested. Although there are 20 types of hoodia, only the hoodia gordonii variety is believed to contain the natural appetite suppressant.

Although hoodia was "discovered" relatively recently, the San Bushmen of the Kalahari desert have been eating it for a very long time. The Bushmen, who live off the land, would cut off part of the hoodia stem and eat it to ward off hunger and thirst during nomadic hunting trips. They also used hoodia for severe abdominal cramps, haemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, hypertension and diabetes.

In 1937, a Dutch anthropologist studying the San Bushmen noted that they used hoodia to suppress appetite. But it wasn't until 1963 when scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa's national laboratory, began studying hoodia. Initial results were promising -- lab animals lost weight after taking hoodia.

The South African scientists, working with a British company named Phytopharm, isolated the active ingredient in hoodia, a steroidal glycoside, which they named p57. After getting a patent in 1995, they licensed p57 to Phytopharm. Phytopharm has spent more than $20 million on hoodia research.

Eventually pharmaceutical giant Pfizer (makers of Viagra) caught wind of hoodia and became interested in developing a hoodia drug. In 1998, Phytopharm sub-licensed the rights to develop p57 to Pfizer for $21 million. Pfizer recently returned the rights to hoodia to Phytopharm, who is now working with Unilever.

What you need to know about hoodia

Hoodia appears to suppress appetite
Much of the buzz about hoodia started after 60 minutes correspondent Leslie Stahl and crew traveled to Africa to try hoodia. They hired a local Bushman to go with them into the desert and track down some hoodia. Stahl ate it, describing it as "cucumbery in texture, but not bad." She lost the desire to eat or drink the entire day. She also didn't experience any immediate side effects, such as indigestion or heart palpitations. Stahl concluded, "I'd have to say it did work."

In animal studies, hoodia is believed to reduce caloric intake by 30 to 50 percent. There is one human study showing a reduced intake of about 1000 calories per day. However, I haven't been able to find either study to actually read for myself and am going on secondhand reports.

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