The demand for diet pills continues to rise in the past few years. There are many products out there in the market today and one that gained popularity among consumers is the hoodia gordonii. This "natural appetite suppressant" became the most widely known to buyers because of overflowing claims from people who have tried it.

Hoodia gordonii is a cactus like plant which can only be found in the deserts of Africa. The San Bushmen of Kalahari and other tribes in Africa used it to cure ailments, such as abdominal cramps, hemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, etc. It was also widely used as an appetite suppressant and as a thirst quencher whenever these people move from one place and another. This aroused the curiosity of some scientists.

The CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) isolated the substance called "p57" which is the active ingredient which acts as an appetite suppressant. They engaged the UK based pharmaceutical company called Phytopharm and collaborated with Pfizer to further the study on p57 and other slimming agents. Later on it was patented on 1996 by CSIR giving way for the product to be commercially produced worldwide.

This particular plant specie is protected by the CITE (The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species) to ensure that harvest operations of hoodia will be regulated. This is the reason that it became scarce so that bio-piracy became so rampant for this particular diet agent. There are many fake products out there that promises consumers 100% pure hoodia gordonii. It is helpful that consumers should be aware of what they are buying in the market.

Here are some helpful tips on spotting the fake and the real:

1. The company selling the product should at least present proper documentation. What the consumer should look for first is the document called the CITES certificate. However, there are ways that those crooks get around things like forging the certificates that belong to other companies and present them as theirs. The real certificate will indicate the legal importer and exporter of the shipment.

2. Checking the label of the product is always helpful. Fake products contain ingredients such as starch and other materials that can endanger one's health.

3. Companies selling hoodia gordonii submits their product for independent testing to make certain to their consumers that what they are selling is authentic. Once the brand has been tested and approved by authorized testing companies, a visible documentation will be published in their website.

4. Getting well informed about the hoodia gordonii reduces the risk of being deceived. The internet is always readily accessible so one can learn things about this diet product.

5. It is always important that the consumer always has to use his/her common sense before purchasing a product. Genuine products are probably expensive since these plants are hard to grow and the fact that it is fully protected (it is grown and harvested with a permit) internationally, the source must be scarce and therefore the ingredient should be rare. If a seller sells at a much lesser price, this should be a signal to the buyer that he/she might be dealing with a scammer.

Vanessa Arellano Doctor
http://hoodiastore.org

The demand for diet pills continues to rise in the past few years. There are many products out there in the market today and one that gained popularity among consumers is the hoodia gordonii. This "natural appetite suppressant" became the most widely known to buyers because of overflowing claims from people who have tried it.

Hoodia gordonii is a cactus like plant which can only be found in the deserts of Africa. The San Bushmen of Kalahari and other tribes in Africa used it to cure ailments, such as abdominal cramps, hemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, etc. It was also widely used as an appetite suppressant and as a thirst quencher whenever these people move from one place and another. This aroused the curiosity of some scientists.

The CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) isolated the substance called "p57" which is the active ingredient which acts as an appetite suppressant. They engaged the UK based pharmaceutical company called Phytopharm and collaborated with Pfizer to further the study on p57 and other slimming agents. Later on it was patented on 1996 by CSIR giving way for the product to be commercially produced worldwide.

This particular plant specie is protected by the CITE (The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species) to ensure that harvest operations of hoodia will be regulated. This is the reason that it became scarce so that bio-piracy became so rampant for this particular diet agent. There are many fake products out there that promises consumers 100% pure hoodia gordonii. It is helpful that consumers should be aware of what they are buying in the market.

Here are some helpful tips on spotting the fake and the real:

1. The company selling the product should at least present proper documentation. What the consumer should look for first is the document called the CITES certificate. However, there are ways that those crooks get around things like forging the certificates that belong to other companies and present them as theirs. The real certificate will indicate the legal importer and exporter of the shipment.

2. Checking the label of the product is always helpful. Fake products contain ingredients such as starch and other materials that can endanger one's health.

3. Companies selling hoodia gordonii submits their product for independent testing to make certain to their consumers that what they are selling is authentic. Once the brand has been tested and approved by authorized testing companies, a visible documentation will be published in their website.

4. Getting well informed about the hoodia gordonii reduces the risk of being deceived. The internet is always readily accessible so one can learn things about this diet product.

5. It is always important that the consumer always has to use his/her common sense before purchasing a product. Genuine products are probably expensive since these plants are hard to grow and the fact that it is fully protected (it is grown and harvested with a permit) internationally, the source must be scarce and therefore the ingredient should be rare. If a seller sells at a much lesser price, this should be a signal to the buyer that he/she might be dealing with a scammer.

Vanessa Arellano Doctor
http://hoodiastore.org