Should one really be going around looking for discount hoodia when the genuine hoodia is very expensive to grow and harvest? So if it is a 100% hoodia product, you should be prepared for it to be expensive. If it isn’t, then it is probably not genuine hoodia gordonii or it has been adulterated with other herbs. Not only does the plant grow in only certain parts of Africa, it is also quite difficult to grow. One also has to wait full five years for the plant to flower and only after this can it be harvested to make hoodia products. The governments in Africa make it very difficult for anyone to grow hoodia on their own and if you want to you will need special permits and licenses to grow them from seeds. The seeds too take a long time to germinate and grow and in fact it takes almost a year before they can be taken from their trays and replanted in pots. Then there is the wait till the plants flower and the flowers smell really awful. After this, this cactus-like succulent can be harvested. So no, there is no question of discount hoodia unless you buy in bulk maybe, when you might get a bit if a concession.
What is termed as fake hoodia is a bit of a misnomer because very often, it is any of the other varieties of hoodia – they are not hoodia gordonii though. As it is only hoodia gordonii that is used as an appetite suppressant, these other hoodia plants should not ideally be used but unscrupulous manufacturers use them and label them hoodia to hoodwink the public. Now these are obviously cheaper and can therefore be offered at a discount considering there are around 15 of these varieties. Yes, the governments in Africa protect all the hoodia varieties for this reason precisely because if there are a lot of fake hoodia diet pills being passed off as the real thing and they don’t work, then they obviously will get a bad name resulting in sales falling.
So it would be good to keep in mind that discounts don’t really go with hoodia gordonii. If you want the real thing, it isn’t plentiful and you have to pay for it – just try and ensure it is the real hoodia though before you pay. Trying to buy hoodia at a discount price might lay you open to getting just fake hoodia and not the actual, genuine hoodia gordonii that seems to be the only hoodia that suppresses the appetite.