Hoodia Buyers Guide

What is Hoodia?

Hoodia or African Hoodia Gordonii as it is more formally known, is a type of cactus plant which can only be found growing wild on the plains of the Kalahari Desert.

Hoodia has been the centre of numerous and well publicised studies, proving its effectiveness at suppressing appetite for up to three hours at a time.

The most notable study was carried out by Pfizer who spent a whopping £12 million researching the active molecule thought to be responsible – Hoodia P57. While a synthetic version of P57 is in the pipeline, the simplest way to experience its appetite suppressing qualities is simply by consuming pure raw extract.

Beware of fakes

Until recently buying Hoodia extract has been no easy task. Counterfeit pills containing miniscule amounts of Hoodia, or even worse no Hoodia at all, have become a widespread problem.

A quick search on sites such as eBay, or even a quick search on Google can reveal hundreds of Hoodia products which all claim to contain genuine Hoodia. However, as the natural supplement industry is a pretty much unregulated affair, it is often a case of buyer beware.

What to look for when buying Hoodia

First and foremost, Hoodia is an extremely expensive plant to cultivate and one which also faces very strict export laws. As such any product which is available far too cheaply should be viewed with some scepticism in regards to authenticity.

As nearly all Hoodia originates from South Africa, you should make sure the product in question has proof stating the site of origin (also known as a CITES certificate). Currently there only a handful of licensed importers in the UK who can offer genuine Hoodia Gordonii.

Not all Hoodia products are the same

The quality and quantity of the Hoodia should also be taken into consideration; products which contain less than 300mg of Hoodia per capsule should generally be avoided as a poor investment. Check to see if the extract has been steam dried before encapsulation, as this will maintain freshness and more importantly, remove harmful bacteria.

Last but not least, check the ingredients. Make sure that each capsule contains only 100% Hoodia extract and not fillers, lubricants, binders or any other nasty preservatives.

Recommended Hoodia suppliers

Unique Hoodia is a UK based company who offer 100% pure steam dried Hoodia Gordonii extract.

After reviewing a number of products which all claim to offer appetite suppression, it is only UniqueHoodia which ticks all the right boxes and fulfills our strict criteria for a high quality Hoodia product.

To read more visit the Unique Hoodia website