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.  (more…)