60 Minutes Report on Hoodia   

With all the excitement surrounding it, from the mysterious about how Hoodia only grows in its native soil in the Kalahari Desert, to the intrigue over the corporate giants that continue to fight over the ownership of the lands where it grows, it's no wonder a big American network caught up to the Hoodia story and wondered what make it work.

The 60 minutes report on the effects of Hoodia was very complimentary. It started off telling the viewer that the American public spends on average a staggering $40 billion a year on products designed to help them slim down and that there were not many supplements that were able to work without any side effects. Hoodia seemed to be one of them.

The report also opened with the fact that many of these drugs have been identified as dangerous because of their side effects but that's not the case with Hoodia. Sixty minutes reported off the top that Hoodia was seen as a modern miracle in dieting since it was natural and was not considered a stimulant of any kind, that since it grew naturally in the Kalahari desert, the likelihood of it having any negative side effects was small.

Hoodia only grows well in its natural home. To that end, a major drug company has moved in and all the production of the plant has been restricted to one government run faculty with a royalty paid out to the Bushmen who are credited with discovering its appetite suppressant qualities. Scientists have discovered that the plant can actually fool the brain onto thinking it is full even when the subject has only eaten a morsel.

There are no after effects or otherwise ill effects from the use of Hoodia, and the booming industry around the plant has seen an explosion of supplements. As for the 60 minutes program, Lesley Stahl was led into the desert where she tried a taste of the plant and reported that it worked just as reported.