There are some things that you must know before you decide to buy pure hoodia gordonii.
Hoodia gordonii is a succulent plant that grows in the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa and Namibia. For centuries, the San tribes or Bushmen of the Kalahari have used it to suppress hunger and thirst when there was no food available and they had to go on long hunting expeditions. There are many species of hoodia, but only hoodia gordonii works as an appetite suppressant.
In the 1960s, the South African CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) began studying Hoodia Gordonii. Working with a British company called Phytopharm, they isolated an active ingredient in hoodia gordonii – a molecule they named P57, which caused suppression of hunger and thirst. CSIR patented P57 and leased it to Phytopharm, who are presently running clinical trials on hoodia gordonii. Phytopharm is now in partnership with Unilever to create a commercial product in the worldwide fight against obesity.
Since hoodia gordonii was introduced to the public, it has become a huge topic of interest, excitement and hope in our obese and obsessed-with-weight-loss society. Naturally, this has spawned a very hungry market place and all kinds of “hoodia” supplements, herbs, pills, shakes and even lollipops are being sold to unwary customers.
Now, the active molecule P57 has been patented, but the hoodia gordonii plant itself cannot be patented and manufacturers are making and selling all kinds of supplements with some form of “hoodia” in them. No manufacturer can claim to have a “hoodia gordonii extract” in his product unless they want to face a court case, because the extract, P57, has been patented and leased to Phytopharm and its partner, Unilever. But they can and do use the term “extract” in misleading terms and put it on their products.
“Consumer comparison sites” are thin disguises for unscrupulous manufacturers. The public is asked to compare all kinds of hoodia products, with the hidden manufacturer’s product being the best, of course. Calling their product 100% hoodia gordonii is also misleading. It is the inner flesh of the plant that contains the appetite suppressant extract, and powdering the entire plant – stalks and spiny skin included – reduces the amount of the active ingredient to less than 40%. Many manufacturers give reams of information and chemical analysis, without mentioning the name of the laboratory used.
To be certain that you are buying pure hoodia gordonii, look out for the following signs:
Hoodia Gordonii is imported from South Africa and it is an endangered species. The label must have a CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) certification to show it has been legally imported and is authentic. The label must clearly give the name of the certified laboratory that has tested and analyzed the hoodia gordonii in the product.