A plant from the Kalahari that offers hope for one of the western world’s speediest growing diseases, obesity, is also becoming a marketing catfight embroilled in complete hype.
For the uninitiated, Hoodia Gordonii was shown to be by the (CSIR)South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in the 1960’s as a natural hunger suppressant.
Used for generations by Kalahari Bushmen as a way of defeating hunger on hunting trips, the CSIR worked with a UK business called Phytopharm to pinpoint the working ingredient in Hoodia Gordonii. This they did, and Phytopharm called this ‘miracle molecule’ P57 (it was their 57th product).
Although P57 is patented, the plant can’t be. This has caused a ton of herbal supplement manufacturers to all begin producing Hoodia products, using some very suspicious business methods.
One of the worst examples of this is the growing number of self-styled ‘Hoodia Gordonii consumer sites’. These ‘consumer’ websites are practically all a ‘con’, as they are operated by Hoodia businesses or affiliates of the manufacturers themselves, hidden using names. They claim to judge different brands, with their brand of course at the number one position.
With these kind of websites coming out every few weeks, the best advice is simply to ignore them, find the manufacturers main site, and then make your own mind up about if you can trust the product.
Another tactic that is confusing the consumer is the supposed differences in the quality of other brands. The most common is to do with the term ‘extract’. Some companies claim that they sell an extract which is more powerful than non-extract products. (What is an extract? An extract is a concentrated from of a herb, that is derived after the crude herb has been mixed with water, alcohol, or another solvent and distilled or evaporated.).
No one is selling Hoodia Gordonii extract, as it would be violating the patent held by CSIR (which has been leased to Phytopharm, who in turn have leased it to Unilever). Any company claiming to sell a Hoodia extract had better watch their step – apart from misleading consumers, Phytopharm and Unilever are unlikely to ignore such blatant patent theft.
Another common deceit is to claim to be 100% Hoodia while selling at what seems a really great low price. How can they do it? Simple – they’re telling the truth. They’re using the whole of the plant, rather than the ‘heart’ of the plant which contains the active ingredient. As the ‘skin’ of the Hoodia can account for as much as 40% of the weight, your 100% pure may only be 60% pure and not quite the bargain that you imagined.
All the ‘Hoodia wars’ seem to be doing is confusing potential customers, who become less able to take an informed decision about which product is best for them.
Here are 4 questions that anyone wanting to buy Hoodia should ask, before parting with any money:
1. Is this genuine Hoodia Gordonii from the Kalahari region of Southern Africa? (Hoodia is now being grown in China, Texas and elsewhere, and there is evidence that the Kalahari soil contributes to the effectiveness of the plant)
2. What part of the plant is used? (Remember, it’s only the core of the plant that has been identified as having the active ingredient).
3. Is it an extract or powder? (The right answer is powder).
4. Is it Hoodia GORDONII? (There are many different types of plants in the Hoodia family – it is the Hoodia Gordonii that has been shown to be the appetite suppressant).
Plus remember:
• If the price is low, likely the quality of the product will be.
• If it’s number one on some consumer comparison chart, what else are they ‘fixing’?
• If they’re vague about their product and simply bombard you with hype – it’s likely the product can’t stand up on it’s own merit.
For more Hoodia advice, visit our site: Hoodia Diet Pills
