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top-10 hoodia products listed in order of popularity.
Authentic hoodia is one of the rarest botanicals in the world. It is a cactus like plant that grows exclusively in South Africa . Scientists have isolated several compounds in hoodia that helps suppress appetite. It contains a molecule called P57 that is 10,000 times as active as glucose. It goes to the mid-brain and makes those nerve cells feel as if you are full and this in turn stunts the appetite. It basically tricks the brain into thinking that you are full. To date, there are no known adverse side effects caused by the use of hoodia.
Read more about hoodia
Hoodia is currently the most publicized and talked about natural weight loss product in America . It has been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, ABC, NBC Today, BBC, CNN, in Oprah's “O” Magazine and in other major electronic and print media….with mostly positive reviews. With the media storm presently surrounding hoodia, the product is in high demand. That coupled with the fact that there is a very limited quantity of real hoodia gordonii available from South Africa, the opportunity for counterfeit, fake and diluted hoodia products has emerged…is even running rampant.
The surge of products declaring to have the most effective weight loss supplement in the last decade simply can not be! Real hoodia is Rare, Controlled and Expensive! It is literally impossible to have so much of the real hoodia product in the market place. Amazingly, we found that as much as fifty percent of the hoodia products being advertised were misleading and a substantial quantity had Little to No hoodia at all! Simply wasting consumer's time & money!
Follow the eight “educated consumer” rules below and you will be assured of getting a high quality product with real hoodia in it.
Rule #1: (most important rule) The hoodia product must be authenticated by a current verifiable Independent Lab Report (almost always performed by Alkemists Pharmceuticals) verifying the origin and quality of the hoodia in the product. The report should have a Lot Number verifying that the batch tested corresponds with the Lot Number on the product label. This Independent Lab Report is the most effective way to verify that you are getting a high quality hoodia product. Be assured that all premium hoodia brands will display this report…and the rip-offs will not. Make sure that the date on the report is no older than six months. Rule #2: As a reinforcement to rule #1, the hoodia product must display a C.I.T.E.S Certificate showing the Country of origin being South Africa . This Certificate assures that the raw material being processed into product is authentic South African hoodia. Make sure that the copy on the Certificate is clear and legible and not a counterfeit. The date on the Certificate should be no older than six months. Read more about C.I.T.E.S Certificates. Rule #3: Avoid any product that lists fillers, additives, bulking agents and any active ingredients other than hoodia. The label should state that the product consists solely of 100% pure hoodia. Rule #4: Avoid products claiming to contain large amounts of hoodia in each pill or dosage. They are either making false claims or have been dramatically diluted with fillers. The fact is an average person would likely become sick if they consumed more than 800mgs of real hoodia at any one time. Rule #5: Avoid gimmick type products such as hoodia patches, gum, tea, coffee and shakes. They are simply a waste of your money. Rule #6: Avoid any products being sold at cheap prices. Real South African hoodia gordonii is very expensive…presently being sold to manufacturers in the range of $250 to $400 per kilo and products being sold at cheap prices are not the real thing. Rule #7: Beware of FREE TRIAL offers for hoodia presently being blasted with email campaigns all over the Internet. These are all promotional gimmicks and many are outright SCAMS. By accepting the free offer, you agree to receive hoodia products on an ongoing basis and your credit card will be automatically charged every month without you initiating the purchase. We found that the hoodia was not real in most of these FREE TRIAL offers and to make matters worse, it was almost impossible to get the companies to stop shipping the product and stop charging our credit cards. Rule #8: Select an established company that shows verifiable credentials. The company website should have:
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Special Note : Although there are several high quality hoodia pills available that deliver positive results, we did find that by taking hoodia in liquid extract form may achieve faster and more effective results. Liquid extract products deliver a higher concentration of active compounds per dosage and because these active compounds are pre-extracted (up to 97%), they do not have to be digested as pills do. Therefore they have the advantage of being faster in delivery and carrying a higher level of potency.
Read more about liquid extracts vs. pills.
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Hoodia History
Hoodia gordonii (pronounced HOO-dee-ah) is also called hoodia, xhooba, khoba, Ghaap, hoodia cactus, and South African desert cactus hoodia is a cactus like plant that's causing a stir for its ability to suppress appetite and promote weight loss. CBS 60 Minutes, NBC, ABC, BBC and numerous other broadcasters have done stories on hoodia. hoodia is sold in capsule, liquid extract, spray, patch or tea form in health food stores and on the Internet. 
Hoodia gordonii can be found in the semi-deserts of South Africa . It grows in clumps of green upright stems and is actually a succulent, not a cactus. It takes about 5 years before hoodia's pale purple flowers appear and the cactus can be harvested. Although there are 20 types of hoodia, only the hoodia gordonii variety is believed to contain the natural appetite suppressant.
Although hoodia was "discovered" relatively recently, the San Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert have been eating it for a very long time. The Bushmen, who live off the land, would cut off part of the hoodia stem and eat it to ward off hunger and thirst during nomadic hunting trips. They also used hoodia for severe abdominal cramps, hemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, hypertension and diabetes.
How Hoodia works
Much of the buzz about hoodia started after 60 minutes correspondent Leslie Stahl and crew traveled to Africa to try hoodia. They hired a local Bushman to go with them into the desert and track down some hoodia. Stahl ate it and said she lost the desire to eat or drink the entire day. She also didn't experience any immediate side effects, such as indigestion or heart palpitations. Stahl concluded, "I'd have to say it did work."
The chemical constituents in hoodia works within the satiety center by releasing a chemical compound similar to glucose, but is up to 100,000 times more powerful. The hypothalamus receives this signal as an indication that enough food has been consumed and this in turn stunts the appetite. This pure organic hoodia gordinii contains a molecule that, in effect, fools the brain into believing you are full, and can even stop the brain from thinking about food.
The Science behind Hoodia Gordonii
Although there isn't substantial published research on hoodia to date, the studies available appear to show quite impressive results.
Scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa 's national laboratory, began studying hoodia and the initial results were promising -- lab animals lost weight after taking hoodia. Later, the South African scientists, working in conjunction with a British company named Phytopharm, isolated the active ingredient in hoodia, a steroidal glycoside, which they named p57. Phytopharm has spent more than $20 million on hoodia research. The company completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study in overweight, but otherwise healthy volunteers using the P57 extract from hoodia gordonii. The participants were split into two groups, one received the P57 and the other received a placebo. Each group was told to continue their normal diet and exercise. The results of the study were as follows:
When comparing the hoodia group to the Placebo group, the hoodia group had a statistically significant reduction in caloric intake, had a statistically significant reduction in body fat and had no adverse side effects. On average the hoodia group ate about 1,000 calories a day less than those in the control group. These are very impressive results when you consider that the average American man consumes about 2,600 calories a day; a woman about 1,900.
In animal studies, hoodia was proven to reduce caloric intake by 30 to 50 percent. Researchers at Brown University Medical School performed studies in 2004. In these studies "Zucker Rats" were fed hoodia. Zucker Rats are special rats that are bred to be obese and diabetic. Amazingly Zucker Rats that were fed hoodia lost weight and even saw some reversal of their diabetes.
About C.I.T.E.S. Certificates
The South African government has strictly regulated the exportation of hoodia to the rest of the world. A CITES certificate is required to legally export hoodia gordonii from South Africa . 
CITES is an international agreement between countries. Its mission is to protect and regulate international trade of wild animals and plants. hoodia gordonii is one of those plants protected by CITES.
Be careful, because many of the documents being presented with hoodia products are not real. This fact includes many of the so-called hoodia products sold in the large health store chains touting a CITES certification. These documents are issued in South Africa and do not assure the quality or purity of the hoodia, especially by the time it is bottled and in the market place. That is why we only recommend the products that also accompany and independent lab report verifying authenticity and quality of the hoodia.
About Hoodia Patents
South African scientists, working with a British company named Phytopharm, isolated the active ingredient in hoodia, a steroidal glycoside, which they named p57. After getting a patent in 1995, the South African government licensed p57 to Phytopharm.
Eventually pharmaceutical giant Pfizer (makers of Viagra) heard about hoodia and became interested in developing a hoodia drug. In 1998, Phytopharm sub-licensed the rights to develop p57 to Pfizer for $21 million. Pfizer determined that it was not economically viable to turn the product into a pharmaceutical prescription grade product and recently returned the rights to Phytopharm, who is now working with Unilever to develop an appetite suppressing product using the p57 molecule. hoodia products using the p57 molecule are not expected to be available to the general public for several years.
Hoodia Processing Methods
There are three different ways of processing hoodia. Knowing these different ways of making hoodia products is very important is making an educated purchasing decision:
a) Using a method to specially extract the p57 molecule -- This method is discussed in the “About hoodia Patents” section above and only Phytopharm and its partners can do this because of the p57 patent.
b ) Making a powder out of the whole hoodia plant – Most of the hoodia capsule products are made from this processing method. The whole hoodia plant is ground into a powder. Products using this method claim that since Bushmen ate the whole hoodia plant, it's therefore the most effective way. However, the Bushmen actually peeled away the hoodia skin and discarded it; they didn't actually eat the entire hoodia plant. This is the cheapest type of hoodia to manufacture...and most likely the least effective.
c) Using a concentrate method – These are the hoodia extract products, primarily available in liquid extract form. The idea here is that there is other stuff in hoodia, like the fiber and skin, that just takes up room and provides little to no positive effect. This processing method extracts and concentrates the active ingredients, while discarding the fiber and skins. These products usually come in 20:1 or 10:1 potency levels.
20:1 means that 1 g of this extract was made by using 20 g of the whole plant and 10:1 means that 10 g of the whole plant were used to make 1 g of their extract.
About Hoodia Liquid Extract
The vast majority of herbalists and naturopaths prefer liquid extracts over pills because of increased biochemical potency and results. Liquid extracts are pre-extracted and are more absorbable than pills as you do not need to digest them. Woody roots and plant parts such as hoodia are hard to digest in pill form, especially for those who already have a hard time digesting food (and food is a lot easier to digest than wood). Since liquid extract absorbs almost immediately, one gets faster results than pills. This is especially important as an appetite suppressant such as hoodia because the faster you can lesson food cravings when you are hungry, the better the results of your weight loss objectives.
Hoodia is Expensive
There has always been a demand for quick-fix, no-pain weight loss pills. After the ban on the herb ephedra, the market was particularly ripe for the next new weight loss solution, preferably one that didn't have the same stimulating side effects as ephedra. The demand for real hoodia is great, but the supply isn't. Until very recently, hoodia gordonii was only found in the wild in South Africa . Hoodia is difficult to grow. It requires 4-5 years to mature and temperatures in the range of 122F. The supply is scarce, which keeps costs high.
Please Note: All weight loss supplements should be taken in conjunction with a balanced diet and reasonable exercise. |
The Researchhoodia.Info website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for advice from your physician or health care professional. The information provided and statements made have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. All products mentioned on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. We welcome all comments and input concerning the content on the Research hoodia site. If you believe any of the information to be in error or if you have new information concerning hoodia that you believe would be of interest to consumers please let us know. Contact us