Hoodia is a cactus-like plant that comes from Africa. The plant contains a previously unknown molecule, now called P57, that tricks the brain into thinking that the stomach is full.
Within the brain are glucose sugar sensing nerve cells and the P57 molecule, which is thought to be 10,000 times as active as glucose, triggers these cells in the mid-brain and the body is fooled into thinking it's full.
Hoodia has long been used by primitive tribes in Africa to stave off hunger during long hunting trips.
