So, what is Diet Canada? The scientific name for Hoodia is Hoodia gordonii. Similar to a cactus, the Hoodia plant grows in the semi-arid regions of South Africa. It is classified as a succulent because it produces flowers, and takes approximately five years to mature. It is the only plant within the family Asclepiadaceae that is identified to have appetite suppressing properties. During the 1960s, South African scientists decided to conduct tests by injecting animal subjects with Hoodia, and concluded that the Hoodia cactus can act as an effective weight loss aid. Encouraged by these results, they then conducted further tests to determine the molecule that was responsible for appetite suppression (called P57), and patented the process of extraction. Eventually, Phytopharm, a pharmaceutical company, became interested in developing a weight loss tablet from the Hoodia plant extract. After successful human trials were conducted with the Hoodia extract, a partnership was developed with Pfizer (a large pharmaceutical) to develop a line of weight loss pills for the US and Canada diet markets. |