Hoodia tea is a plant based product for the cure of obesity which is now in clinical development. The product was licensed to Pfizer Inc in 1998 in a global licensing agreement. The cactus from which P57 was created from the hoodia weight loss Cactus plant species.

hoodia tea is a fully defined extract created from a single plant which is subject to patent applications including raw materials, active substances and mode of action. Hoodia gordonii 500 complex seems to have novel pharmacological properties and may in fact be the first ever true appetite suppressant to be found. Unlike many of the conventional treatments now available it has no effects on behaviour. The mechanism of action is novel and distinct from those of currently available compounds. Efficacy has been established with a intellectual weight loss and a tremendous emergent safety profile.

hoodia cactus plant considerable progress has been achieved with this project. Phase I of hoodia tea clinical development proceeds alongside an extensive research program. In parallel to these activities, further plantations for the plant material have been established world-wide in collaboration with the CSIR and Pfizer and a clinical supplies unit, dedicated to the manufacturer of the material, has been opened in South Africa.

Anecdotal reports of the use of hoodia tea in humans reveal that it significantly reduces appetite, food intake and body weight. Considerable work has been undertaken to fractionate this plant material and a number of compounds have been isolated from the mixture, some of which have biological activity. The mechanism of action of P57 and its active constituents is currently under investigation. Additional pharmacological properties have recently been established.

hoodia tea is an appetite suppressant with novel pharmacological properties that has no effects on behavior. It is withdrawn from the hoodia 24, a South African plant which has been eaten by Bushmen for thousands of years to avoid off thirst and hunger during long hunting trips. Phytopharm has six patents in progress covering the use of the plant, its active molecules, derivatives and mode of action. Once its patents are published the company will disclose the mode of action. Last year Dr. Richard Dixey, CEO of Phytopharm, told the Wall Street Transcript, “We will not disclose the mode of action at this time because hoodia tea is the subject of a very active patenting program. There is no point in early disclosure of such information until the patent is eventually published and the information enters the public domain. All one would be doing would be to give ones possible competitors useful information and advise people to buy hoodia gordonii“.