Fraudulent Hoodia And WeightLoss-What You Must Know Before Buying

First, ask yourself- "Does the place I am getting hoodia gordonii from allows ongoing, random, anonymous testing of their hoodia products by an independent lab?" Just as important, are they only getting by with sending in a batch sample with a lot number for testing?

This is Why.

There are dishonest vendors who will display the lot numbers tested on their website from a lab considered to be very reputable. But, the only way to know that this constitutes irrefutable proof of their hoodia product's strength is if the company permits ongoing, anonymous, and random testing of the actual product that is sold to the consumer. This should be completely verifiable, and also the testing should be done where the vendor doesn't know the exact testing place, where the products are bought from nor when the product was purchased. The results from such testing should be displayed right on the testing laboratorie's websites.

Question # 2: PURITY- Is there an easy way to see if the product is made ONLY from 100% pure South African Hoodia gordonii-with no fillers or additives?

There is a way to determine the purity of the hoodi gordonii. Looking at the label, check under the "Supplement Facts" section on the label. If it declares specifically that there are no additives, this will be apparent by your seeing the word "None" in the "Other Ingredients" section of the label. If there is anything else listed, then it's not pure hoodia.

Sometimes a manufacturer will list the fillers and additives as "Other Ingredients". This is known as the "O.I." trick. If the manufacturer lists the other fillers and additives as "other ingredients"- then they can legally say that the product is true gordonii.

The government allows the diet supplement industry the use of "flow agents" to help simplify the process of manufacturing them.

The use of silica, cellulose, magnesium stereate, etc. can be easily avoided. However, scammers know that simply by declaring them on their labels as "Other Ingredients," they can exploit a gaping loophole in the law at the customer's expense. Therefore, they continue to do so.

With the new high compression encapsulation machines, it's not necessary to load up the capsules with fillers and additives- yet still be able to call it "pure". It might cost more to do so, but it's the right thing to do.

Avoid the common "Bait and Switch" practice in which less than reputable vendors spoon-feed the lab a genuine sample, but then sell the public a counterfeit or watered-down product.

Question #3: Is the hoddia that you are wanting to purchase claim to be Hoodia Gordonii of South African origin, or just plain "hoodia"? There are more than 20 varieties of Hoodia known to man, and the only one that has been proven to reduce calorie intake in humans is the South African hoodia. If you see "Chinese Hoodia" for example, you should consider it counterfeit.

Question #4: Which part of the hoodia plant is the product made from? It should be made from the biologically active part of the Hoodia gordonii Succulent. You'll also need to know if the vendor uses only the peeled stem of the Hoodia gordonii plant.

You shouldn't buy hoodia gordonii from any company using the "whole plant" or anything that isn't purely the "peeled stems. These products would automatically have atleast 50% less of the hoodia's active ingredients necessary for effective appetite control.

The P57-active part of Hoodia gordonii-the peeled stem, NOT the bark, NOT the flowers, and NOT the root. This (peeled stem) is the part that is effective for appetite suppression.

Question # 5: POTENCY - Am I sure the Hoodia I buy is of the highest potency possible. Does the company or its farmers patiently cultivate the Hoodia succulents for at least 3-1/2 years before harvesting the stems?

Hoodia milled from immature plants may test "positive" for Hoodia gordonii but lack sufficient P57 to suppress the appetite. Additionally, Hoodia loses its strength when exposed or dried in open sunlight or in kilns above a certain temperature; or when milled above certain microns.