Desert Diet Inspired by Africa

L O N D O N, Aug. 7 -- A wild plant used by generations of native Bushmen in South Africa's Kalahari Desert to help them avoid starvation in the dry, hot sands could make them millionaires if it is successfully developed into a weight-loss drug for Westerners.

"I learned how to eat it from my forefathers," said one member of the San tribe, a people who live in the Kalahari Desert, as he prepared a piece of the cactus-like plant called hoodia by trimming off the prickly spikes. "It is my food, my water, and also a medicine for me."

According to San spokesman Andries Steenkamp, his people ate the hoodia plant for thousands of years in order to ward off hunger pains and to quench their thirst during lean times and when they were forced to survive during long hunting trips.

"Hoodia stops hunger and also treats sickness," Steenkamp told ABCNEWS. "We, San, use the plant during hunting to fight off the pain of hunger and thirst."

Pfizer Developing Key Ingredient

Now drug firms are tapping into the San knowledge, and are hoping to make a fortune by developing the hoodia plant into a miracle slimming pill for millions of overweight Americans and Europeans.

One of those firms is Pfizer, the U.S. pharmaceutical giant responsible for Viagra. It has invested as much as $21 million for the rights to develop and license the active ingredient of hoodia, called P-57.

Popular Reads

Iran live updates: Trump says Iran wants to make a deal, but he isn't 'satisfied'

• 1 hour ago

Woman killed by patio umbrella while dining at lakeside restaurant: Coroner

• May 25, 5:07 PM

50,000 under evacuation orders in Southern Calif. over chemical tank explosion threat

• May 24, 8:41 PM

Obesity is a growing problem in Western countries, where 100 million people are dangerously overweight. Doctors say excessive weight gain causes a myriad of medical problems including heart disease, diabetes, cancer and the onset of strokes.

P-57 works by mimicking the effect that glucose has on nerve cells in the brain — in effect fooling the body into thinking it is full, even when it is not, thus curbing the appetite.

Clinical trials in the United Kingdom suggest P-57 could reduce appetite by up to 2,000 calories a day, making it a potential runaway success in the multimillion-dollar dieting industry. Developers of P-57 hope to see it available as a prescription drug by 2007, after further clinical trials.