The stapeliads consist of about 31 genera and 330 species which are distributed from South Africa (where 180 of the 330 species occur) northwards to the southern shores of Europe and eastwards Ethnopharmacology They were formerly part of the family Asclepiadaceae, but are now positioned within the tribe Ceropegieae of the subfamily Asclepiadoideae of the Apocynaceae (Endress and Bruyns, 2000). The genus Hoodia is classified as one of the stapeliads, a group of stem succulents belonging to the family Apocynaceae. A natural anti-obesity agent from Hoodia promises to become one of the few major products based on plants indigenous to the African Continent. Currently, there are more than 20 international patent applications/registrations on Hoodia gordonii, and many Hoodia-containing commercial preparations available on the market. The prospect of a safe, natural appetite-suppressant agent has sparked considerable interest among the general population and commercial companies worldwide. This has led to further research and development at the CSIR, the identification of an active compound, a patent application (Van Heerden et al., 1998), licencing of the patent to international companies and entering into a benefit-sharing agreement with a Khoisan community. In an initial experiment on mice meant to test the thirst quenching properties as reported by Pappe (1862) and Laidler (1928), the appetite-suppressant activity of the extracts was observed. Steyn in 1986, Hoodia species was investigated at the National Chemical Research Laboratory, CSIR, Pretoria, South Africa.

In a reactivation of the project motivated by Prof P.S. In 1963, the National Food Research Institute, CSIR, Pretoria, South Africa, investigated more than a thousand species of indigenous plants that are used as food, among them Hoodia Sweet ex Decne. Obesity is associated with several medical problems such as diabetes mellitis, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, heart disease and some forms of cancer (Bray, 2004) and is a major health problem in both developing and developed countries. Overweight and obesity among people are generally defined as вЂa weight that is greater than what is healthy for a specific heightвЂ™ (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008).

Quaqua incarnata