Ethical Reasons for Pure Hoodia
It’s becoming clear that Hoodia Gordonii - when properly grown, harvested and prepared, can be an extraordinarily valuable aid in slimming and weightloss. The active constituent - P57 has been shown in numerous clinical trials to be a very effective appetite suppressant, with little or no negative side-effects.
So with all that going for Hoodia Gordonii, why wouldn’t you take it? Of course, you’ve probably already been advised to look for a reputable grower/importer/manufacturer - in order to get the best value for your money. Hoodia is not cheap. So you want to make sure you’re getting the best you can, right?
But there is another, more subtle reason you need to do this: to prevent biopiracy.
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Biopiracy is the theft of plants, seeds and genetic materials. Without strict laws to protect and prevent exploitation of these natural resources, large multi-nationals - pharmaceutical and agro-chemical companies particularly - will take advantage of the local peoples and resources and capitalise on their ancient knowledge and customs.
Activists say that multi-nationals are making massive profits from African biodiversity, but aren’t sharing the profits back with the communities who found and have used the plants or seeds for generations.
“Legislation is required and it’s required yesterday,” said Nolwazi Gcaba, a South African patent and copyright lawyer, as she referred to the lack of legislation in these areas.
“It’s like stealing the loaf and only sharing the crumbs.” said Dr Egziabher - an expert on Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection.
You’re probably familiar with the recent landmark case, where Indian farmers managed to overturn US interests who were trying to patent basmati rice and the healing properties of turmeric. Currently, Thailand is appealing a patent application on jasmine rice.
The most recent headlines in this area, have been around the Hoodia Gordonii plant from South Africa, which has been used for centuries by the local San people to ward off hunger on long desert trips.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa (CSIR) managed to isolate the molecule in Hoodia Gordonii that provides the appetite-suppressing qualities. They then sold the rights to that molecule to a large pharmaceutical company, who want to develop an anti-obesity drug. Which of course, could be worth literally billions of dollars over the next few years.
The San people took action and began a lawsuit. Fairly quickly, the CSIR agreed to share any eventual royalties with the San people…
So the good news is that with Hoodia, at least, the indigenous people and their communities are going to derive some benefit from the use of their ancient knowledge and biological wealth.
It’s the start of a long journey towards ethical and fair standards to protect the indigenous people and their extensive herbal and botanical knowledge from the predatory nature of large and predominantly Western multi-nationals.
So when you do decide to buy pure Hoodia, make sure it’s authentic and carries a C.I.T.E.S Certificate. And give a thought to where the product comes from, how it has been processed, and whether any of the profits are going back into the communities that deserve and need them.
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