Hoodia Gordonii is a plant called a succulent. It is not a herb. It looks like a cactus. Hoodia grows up to a metre tall, has large pink blossoms and with an unpleasant smell. It can take up to 5 years before Hoodia’s pale pink flowers appear and the cactus can be harvested. Although there are at least 20 types of Hoodia, the Kalahari Hoodia Gordonii variety is believed to contain the natural appetite suppressant molecule known as P57. It is considered an endangered plant and only Hoodia “cactus” farmers with certification may produce and sell this succulent.

Hoodia is a powerful appetite suppressant. Hoodia Gordonii works by affecting the hypothalamus, which is located at the base of the brain and regulates certain bodily functions, such as hunger. Glucose works in much the same way, but the “Kalahari Hoodia Gordonii Succulent” has been discovered to be 10,000 times more effective than glucose in controlling the hunger pangs. It creates a spike in your glucose levels. In fact, Hoodia Gordonii tricks your brain into thinking you’re full, even if you haven’t eaten. The Hoodia Gordonii that is native to the Kalahari Desert is the only variety that contains the molecule P57, which is the active ingredient that does this.

In 1937, a Dutch anthropologist studying the San Bushmen noted that they used this Hoodia plant to suppress appetite. But it wasn’t until 1963 when scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa’s national laboratory, began studying Hoodia. Initial results were promising — lab rats lost weight after taking hoodia. The South African scientists, working with a British company named Phytopharm, isolated the active ingredient in hoodia, a steroidal glycoside, which they named P 57. After getting a patent in 1995, they licensed P57 to Phytopharm. Presently the company is developing and marketing Hoodia as an aid to weight loss.

Scientists, working in labs all around the world, are trying to develop a synthetic version of Hoodia Gordonii. To this day no synthetic version of hoodia exists
The San Bushmen of the Kalahari desert have been eating it for centuries. 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. When food was scarce they would give it to their children to kill those dreaded hunger pangs. They also used hoodia for severe abdominal cramps, hemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, hypertension and diabetes. In fact their whole lives seemed to revolve around this miracle plant.

Recently Hoodia hit the mainstream when Herbalists discovered the powerful effects it has on the appetite. Hoodia has the ability to kill your appetite without those horrible nauseous side effect you would normally get when you are starved with the hunger.

Certificates

There are three certified documents that you need to look for that are the requirements to prove authenticity of pure unadulterated South African Kalahari Hoodia Gordonii.

These are:

1.Organics Annex Certificate

2.C.I.T.E.S Certificate

3. Certificate of Analysis (COA).

Organics Annex Certificate

This Certificate proves that the Hoodia used in the product you are buying, comes directly from South African farmers. The farms where this plant is grown have all met the requirements for USDA Organic certification.

What this means to you is that there are no middle men who could potentially add filler or reduce the quality of the Hoodia so you always get the best possible quality available.

The product is fresh and is not sitting around in storage for months on end; the farms in which the Hoodia is grown are all certified and the Hoodia they produce is tested frequently. This means you get more potency per mg of hoodia making it more effective at suppressing your appetite for faster weight loss.

In addition to the above, once the crops are harvested they are treated with steam as opposed to irradiated.  Both are common practices. However the FDA are currently investigating whether to allow irradiation as it is believed this could also be a reason for poor quality Hoodia. The steaming process is much more expensive and this is why a lot of the scammers use the cheaper alternative. So check the website before you buy!

The C.I.T.E.S. Certificate.

The C.I.T.E.S. Certificate is one of the most important documents when purchasing Hoodia. A genuine CITES certificate is proof that you are purchasing authentic Hoodia Gordonii. This certificate is issued to people who purchase Hoodia from the known farms in South Africa.

Hoodia Gordonii is scarce, rare. Due to years of over harvesting and demand, it is now classified as an endangered species. This is why there are so many restrictions and controls in place… to ensure the plant is protected from being wiped out.

The CITES certificate is a way of preserving it. This is an international agreement between governments that regulates the use and export of Hoodia across the whole of the globe.

These restrictions are strict. Once companies obtain a CITES certificate - giving them permission to export Hoodia from South Africa - they must do it in 6 months. If they wait beyond this 6 months barrier, then they must reapply.

Certificate of Analysis (COA).

The certificate of analysis is the real proof that what you are getting is 100% pure Hoodia and nothing else. This certificate is issued prior to entry into the country.  This shows that random samples were tested under HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) and also checks for other things like bacteria.

If there was ever an issue the product would never even make it into the country, as one of the main things this test is looking for is the amount present of P57 (The active compound in Hoodia Gordonii).