In 1796 the Botanist Francis Masson wrote about Hoodia;
‘This is the real ghaap of the natives, who use it as a substitute for food and water. The sweet sap reminds one of licorice and, when on one occasion thirst compelled me to follow the example of my Hottentot guide, it saved further suffering and removed the pangs of hunger so efficiently that I could not eat anything for a day after having reached the camp’.
Marloth (1855-1931)
The word Ghaap; that Francis Masson refers to in the above excerpt; is what the Native Africans call all thirteen species of Hoodia. Nearly all of these species are found in the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa where, for thousands of years, the San Bushmen have eaten them to stave off thirst and hunger whilst out on long hunting treks¹.
Hoodia in its natural form resembles a flowering Cactus Plant. The flowers smell has been said to resemble that of decaying flesh! However it is this potent smell that attracts the flies that in turn pollinate the plant. When out hunting the San Bushmen would break off a stem of the Hoodia plant, remove the spines, and then eat it fresh, (it has been described as having the same consistency as a cucumber). Because of the drought conditions that it grows in, the fleshy part of the Hoodia is able to store moisture, enabling the plant to go for months without drinking². According to the Iziko Museum of Cape Town “the stems swell after rain and it is at this time that they are best eaten. They are also sometimes soaked in water to make them swell before being eaten”. Reading this probably gives you a sense that the San Bushmen live a life of roaming the land and setting up camp wherever they find food and shelter, but they no longer live in this manner. In today’s times, the San live in settlements in the more remote regions of South Africa earning a living through farming and wage labour amongst other things³.
In 1963; whilst carrying out research to source edible wild plants that could be beneficial to the South African Defence Force; the CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), included Hoodia in its database⁴. This was a massive breakthrough for both the San people and Hoodia, because it meant that Funding would be available for research. However, this did not go according to plan because even though the initial tests; that were carried out on laboratory Rats; showed that Hoodia was in fact a non-toxic appetite suppressant, it did not offer enough evidence to warrant a patent. Because of this, the testing of Hoodia ceased for around another 20 years.
Then in 1986 the CSIR managed to isolate the molecular structure of the appetite suppressant⁵, which led to them signing a patent in 1995⁶. This was huge news and Hoodia was tipped to be the next ‘wonder drug’. Off the back of this the CSIR signed contracts with Phytopharm, who would develop and market the molecular substance, that had by now, been named P57.
However, from then, until now really, there has been; in the background; a legal battle being fought. The San People believe that the Hoodia Plant has been stolen from them, and that the CSIR had no right to sign anything without them being involved. This legal battle has been long and fraught, but I do believe that the San People have won some of their rights back … however, don’t hold me to that.
¹ White, A. and Sloane, B.L. 1937. The Stapelieae Vol III, 2nd edition, Pasadena, California
² Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Amendments to Appendices I and II of CITES, Proposal to the Thirteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties, Bangkok, Thailand, 2-14 October 2004
³ Hitchcock, R.K. and Biesele, M. 2001. San, Khwe, Basarwa, or Bushmen? Terminology, identity, and empowerment in southern Africa
⁴An alternative interpretation is that Hoodia spp. were first collected in Namibia and other range states as part of a CSIR project to determine the cause of so-called ‘turkey disease’. While this was later revealed to be aflatoxicosis, caused by a fungal secretion, initial research was targeted at investigating plants, and asking indigenous people about the properties of different plants (B. Bennett, pers. comm. 30 August 2004).
⁵CSIR Bio/Chemtek, 2001, “Adding value to South Africa’s biodiversity and indigenous knowledge through scientific innovation
⁶South African patent no. 983170.
