Introduction to the Debate over Hoodia

By now almost everyone has heard mention of the hoodia ‘wonder plant’, or as it is inappropriately titled, the hoodia ‘cactus.’ Easy diet solutions are always in demand and the hoodia plant is being thrown right in the mix.

The hoodia is in the family Apocynaceae with H. gordonii being the species specifically used in the weight loss market. The plant is roughly 3-5 inches tall and grows in a cluster formation in southern Africa. It is used as a dietary suppressant by the San people of the area in order to force them their bodies to consume less during dry specials for food. The plant also features a handful of small circular flowers, with a flesh like appearance, and texture. To add to the morbidity they also often smell of rotting meat.

Once it was easily discovered that these plants had potential to be marketed as a weight loss supplement, Pfizer isolated the active ingredient called P57 and began marketing under their trademark. Although minimal, the San people do see some profits from their local medicinal plant. Since then hundreds of other companies have jumped on the band wagon. Now, all Hoodia sp. are being utilized. Since the explosion of interest and demand for these products, wild crafted specimens began demanding a premium, thus the plants have become monitored and controlled in the international market.

To this day there is little to no scientific evidence to suggest that P57 has any effect on appetite suppression. Furthermore, there is even less evidence to suggest this from commercially cultivated specimens. So why the hurry and rush for these items? They are actually quite expensive, comparative to other weight loss supplements. Most thermogenics are at a relatively similar price, and many off brands are cheaper. Multivitamins, green tea, fish oils, and the like can all be purchased for less. The lowest price I saw for hoodia supplements was marked down to $12 for a 7 day supply, based on an expiration date. Price is not a factor, but rather ease. This is another get slim quick item. It requires no work, no sacrifice, just a bit of extra money.

What do you think about this topic? How does this affect the San people? Is money enough for them to be compensated for the damage and loss of their plant? Will a large enough market emerge for the growth of the hoodia to become something as commonly cultivated as a tea or coffee? Is it ethical to purchase these items? Should one attempt to grow their own? These and many other questions need to be answered in the further research of this plant and its benefits. It is important to remember that these plants work just well for the San people, for many generations they have. Why do they not help westerners?

If you are interested in doing further research on hoodia or even growing your own please visit the following links:

Karoo Hoodia

Before You Buy Hoodia Cactus Seeds

Breaking Hoodia Info

African Shaman Hoodia Seed for Sale

One of My New Favorites: Delosperma sp.

Delosperma sp. are a group of perennial ice plants from southern Africa. These plants are very easily grown and are an excellent ground cover. They have a nice fleshy leave structure with a solid, tough root base.

I was gifted Delosperma bosseranum seeds last winter and planted a handful before giving away the rest last spring. The photo above is one plant about 2 months old taken in June. The seeds were easily sown, in fact this was one of the easiest plants I have propagated. The seeds were placed on regular cactus soil bought at a Home Depot or Loews. They were then sprayed to keep moist with a lid on top to keep humidity high. After just days, many seeds had propagated. Within weeks they were losing their initial leaves and starting to mature. At that point I placed the trays outside and continued spraying, but started removing the humidity dome. At that point the more powerful plants took over and the smaller ones were lost. Within another week the plants were transferred to a terra cota pots in my backyard. They were absolutely neglected at that point. They do not mind water or lack thereof. I basically allowed the rainwater to take care of them. No fertilizers were used.



By mid summer they had produced small white flowers and started showing evidence for seeds. The above photo, although a bit blurry shows two D. bosseranum. At this point, one can see the tan to brown colored pods throughout. These appeared about two weeks after the tiny gentle white flowers. The pods contain a decent amount of seeds, on mine, an average of about 20 per pod.

At the end of the season these two were brought inside for the winter. Hopefully they can make it through the winter, otherwise I'm going to be looking for another source of seed as I have already given away all of the seed from these two. I am told these can be easily propagated by cutting as well.

Sprouting the Seed

This post is the first of my blog intended to be an output for my thoughts on horticulture, experiences with plants, and an output for my eventual web shop and exchanging plants and seeds.

First and foremost I am a gardener. I grew up on the Great Lakes all of my life. Here plants take an interesting turn from those normally in this zone. On the Great Lakes it is not too cold but it is not too warm. The Lake has a wonderful way of extending the growing season, allowing seed collection and crops into September and October. The warming of the Lake also allows for grapes to grow until freezing, gifting us our world famous ice or dessert wines.

I grew up a youngster hooked on strawberries. I loved eating strawberries! In fact my mother reminds me of times in which I would often be battling the birds for rights to the strawberries! Since then I have grown a bit more dignified and learned how to use the restroom by myself...

Suddenly during my first year at university I was introduced to medicinal plants in a large encyclopaedia at the school library. I could not believe the variety of plants available to be grown! There were ones that could help me with a sore throat, like chamomile, ones that could give me a rush of relaxation and comfort like kanna, and ones that could potentially drive me off the wall like simple morning glories... It just so happens, these three are definitely three of my most favorite to cultivate. Although I must admit I have never had luck with kanna. Someone want to help me?

I am of the school of thought that many medicinal plants are to be highly respected, rarely used, if at all. My concern is with cultivation, preservation, and knowledge of these. Sure, I will make a tea with California Poppies and spearmint leaves, but never would I with illegal plants. Although I may not agree with many laws on plants, it's not my place to break these laws. I receive far more joy from cultivating these wonderful plants.

So what can you expect from this blog? At this point I doubt I will be able to keep up with it daily. However, I will be able to keep up with it often enough. In my posts I will profile specific plants of interest. I will highlight any tips or tricks of the trade I come across in plant maintenance and general gardening/horticulture. I will also express my opinion on the value of particular plants over others, seeds, sellers, forums, websites, and so on. Hopefully I will not bore the reader with just text either.

Eventually, this blog will also serve as a way of connecting my readers to my online seed shop. This shop will specialize in medicinal plant seeds of the colder regions; parts of the world in which cacti and coffee cannot grow so well. Most of them will be hand collected from my collections of my three different gardens around the Great Lakes of the United States and the Maritime of Canada. Expect this shop to be up and running by mid January. No worries though, I will often trade and give away seeds from all over the world!