Hoodia may be a new weight loss phenomenon to those of us outside of Africa, but to the native Bushmen of South Africa, the natural appetite-suppressing abilities of the Hoodia plant, or more specifically the Hoodia Gordonii species, come as nothing new.

Hoodia has been used for ages by those African natives while out in the bush to stave off hunger. By 1977, it was recognized that that same effect could be highly useful as a diet aid or dietary supplement for weight loss and appetite control. In 1977, the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) isolated the key ingredient in Hoodia and patented it for use in diet aides.