Dieta Hoodia

For many centuries the San people (also often named as San tribe or Bushmen) of the Kalahari desert in Southern Africa have used Hoodia plants as a food.  The relationship between San and hoodia goes thousands years back.

The ||Anikhwe of northern Botswana feed their children who "eat too much" with slices of Hoodia Gordonii to reduce their appetite. The practice laste no morethan 45-60 days, otherwise children could die

The Hai||om tribe in northern Namibia actually use Hoodia sap to treat allergic reactions in the eyes. Also, when they have severe stomach pain they boil small Hoodia pieces in water and drink the juice.

The obese members of the ‡Khomani community were eating the Hoodia to slim down.

All San communities reported than from ancient times the San hunters suppressed their hunger and kept their energy levels on their hunting trips by eating a slice of Hoodia twice a day.

The species Hoodia gordonii was less often used because of its lingering bitter taste being considered unpleasant. However, in times of hardship, or being away from familiar areas, it was sometimes eaten by the San people.

In recent years and today, Hoodia spp . are widely used traditionally by the San people as an appetite suppressant, thirst quencher and as a cure for severe abdominal cramps, haemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, hypertension and diabetes.

Various uses have been recorded among Anikhwe (northern Botswana), Hei//om (northern Namibia), Khomani (north western South Africa), and the !Xun and Khwe (Khoe) (originally from Angola) communities.

Less is known about the use of these plants by other indigenous people, not the San, but some records show limited use of plant parts as food items, albeit not as preferred food items.

Hoodias are known to be used for cultural purposes in some areas (as cited by Hargreaves and Turner, 2002). Although relatively difficult to cultivate, Hoodias are attractive plants and are used for horticultural purposes.

In conclussion, the San people are the first group that discovered the hoodia gordonii as an appetite suppressant.