Hoodia Scams ...

As soon as the news of Hoodia grabbed the attention of the media and the World ... the scam artists jumped on the bandwagon. So how do you protect yourself from Hoodia scams?

There are actually two ways to look at this ... How to spot a Hoodia scam, and How to spot a genuine Hoodia product.

If you read all the articles up to here, you will already have the main tools for spotting a genuine Hoodia product. But even so, let's pinpoint some of the common danger signals when you're about to buy some Hoodia.

 

There's no such thing as Cheap 100% Hoodia ... sorry!

There is no such thing as cheap genuine pure Hoodia powder. That's the bottom line. If it's cheap it's the result of one of the following:

1. It's genuine Hoodia, but a 20:1 (or 15:1 or 10:1) botanical extract. What's a botanical extract? Well it's completely different from what Phytopharm and Unilever were working on which is an extract of the active P57 in Hoodia. That is what they have leased the patent on (held by the CSIR), and it would be illegal for anyone else to sell it.
   
   A botanical extract - After the Hoodia is harvested it is dried. The difference in weight before and after drying is shown as a ratio such as 20:1 (the most common for Hoodia), where 20lbs of undried Hoodia equals 1lb of dry Hoodia powder.
   
   What some Hoodia products do is use this 20:1 ratio to claim their product has say 400mg a capsule, when actually it only has 20mg of 20:1 Hoodia powder.
   This is actually not illegal and standard practice - so they aren't doing anything wrong. The problem is most people don't know this, so when they see a seemingly expensive Hoodia product claiming to be 'full powder' or similar, they don't quite understand the difference.
   
   When you actually work it though, the more expensive full powder Hoodia product, works out so much cheaper as you're getting up to 20 times more Hoodia per capsule.
   
   Also, the 20:1's will have much less of an effect than the real full powder products.
   
   
2. It's only the 'heart' of the Hoodia that has any appetite suppressant (P57). The skin, spines etc have no benefits to offer. Some companies use the whole plant, skin and all claiming it to be 100% Hoodia - It's most definitely not as the skin and spine weigh in heavier than the 'heart'.
   
   
3. It's not South African. The ONLY Hoodia to have been analyzed and tested is the Hoodia from Southern Africa (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana), specifically the Kalahari desert.
   
   
4. Some companies have set up Hoodia plantations in Texas, China and Greece. That sounds okay - why not? After all Hoodia is Hoodia - isn't it?
   That's the point, we don't know.
   
   Also, some companies are importing the 'foreign' Hoodia in to South Africa, then re-exporting to the United States and claiming it as genuine because it has a CITES issued in South Africa! Even a genuine CITES can't always be trusted.
   
   
5. It's just not Hoodia! Sorry to say, but some Hoodia products just are not Hoodia. How can you tell (apart from the price? The answer further down this page).

 

Watch out for ...

1. Supposed Hoodia Gordonii 'Consumer' or 'Review' type web sites. We know of at least two web sites that claim to be independent 'reviewers' of Hoodia Gordonii supplements. But a small amount of research will reveal that one is operated by a supplement manufacturer (with their label coming at the top of the list). The other is run by a group of supplement manufacturers who again list their own sites before other so called 'authorized' web sites.
   
   Also, some of these sites are just a cover for 'Affiliates' who are promoting only the products on which they get paid commissions. Now there's nothing wrong in promoting a product you believe in - and nothing wrong in being an affiliate. What is wrong and deceiving is creating a fake review site just to be able to push only the products you can make money on - with the highest paying one at number 1!
   
   The absolute best recommendation for any product is 'word of mouth'. If that's not possible, visit some trustworthy and established forums or blogs. If that's not possible, the next best thing is to only buy from companies that give 100% money back guarantees - at least you can try it out and see for yourself.

 

How to Guarantee You are Buying Genuine and Pure Hoodia

We've mentioned one of the vital items to check for already - Published verification that you are buying genuine South African Hoodia Gordonii.

As we said before, if a company is selling real Hoodia, why not simply publish the certification that comes with the Hoodia when exported from South Africa?

The CITES certificate. The CITES documentation is another vital document you must see. This proves that the Hoodia was legally exported from South Africa. This ceritifcate is only available when you legally export Hoodia.

A Guarantee. After all, why shouldn't a legitimate company guarantee their goods? If the company doesn't offer you a guarantee, ask yourself why?

 

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