On Sunday, November
21, CBS News’ top-rated news
magazine 60 Minutes aired a piece on hoodia, the extremely
popular
succulent plant from Namibia in south Africa that is being
recognized
for its ability to suppress hunger.
Hoodia was previously
in the news
a couple of years ago when reports were released, prematurely,
that
the pharmaceutical company Pfizer was then doing research
on
introducing a new diet drug made from the plant. 60 Minutes
interviewed a representative from Phyto Pharm, a British
based
research organization that holds a patent on the use of a
hoodia
extract for losing weight. Pfizer has since halted its plans
to
market this.
However, the publicity on hoodia increased its
market
interest and many companies have introduced products that
claim to be
made with “hoodia”. The 60 Minutes segment
covered issues of
bio-piracy and royalty payments to the local Kalahari Bushmen
who
have used hoodia gordonii, known to the locals as xhoba,
for
centuries. Hoodia is derived from Hoodia Gordonii of the
dogbane
family (Apocynaceae), a plant that grows mostly in south
Africa.
Information on the 60
Minutes broadcast is available at
:
Click
Here for the 60 Minutes Story
