What’s In Your Hoodia Supplement?

That hoodia supplement you’re taking may not contain what you think! Did you know that it might contain worthless fillers like sawdust? Well believe it or not, it just might. Hoodia gordonii is in limited supply and has become so popular that the demand for it has pushed the price of hoodia through the roof. You’ll pay around $60 for a one-month supply.

The current state of the hoodia market has resulted in many scams and hoodia manufacturers taking shortcuts. Most hoodia diet products contain very little hoodia gordonii - if any at all.

Some manufacturers are using other varieties of hoodia and worthless fillers to cut costs, while advertising their product as “authentic hoodia gordonii.” Unfortunatley, these hoodia scams are more prevalent than you think.

Since supplements are not regulated, it is up to the consumer to figure out if the hoodia supplement they are considering has authentic hoodia gordonii. Up until recently, this has been nearly impossible since expensive laboratory testing was the only way to determine if hoodia supplements contain 100% authentic hoodia gordonii.

Only 6 were found to contain 100% pure hoodia gordonii. The laboratory tests were conducted by Alkemist Pharmaceuticals of Costa Mesa, California. Alkemist continues to test hoodia-branded products and has been reporting to Truth Publishing that about 60% of those tested are not authentic.

Truth Publishing estimates the number of fake hoodia products to be closer to 80% since the samples are submitted to Alkemist Pharmaceuticals voluntarily. There are likely many companies knowingly selling fake hoodia who don’t sumbit samples for testing for obvious reasons.

Alkemist uses two different authentication methods to ensure the accuracy of their tests. They use High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to test the samples. Many of the samples are also tested using digital photo documentation.

Failure of these tests does not necessarily mean the manufacturer was dishonest. Sure there are some that knowingly sell fake hoodia in hopes of raking in as much cash as possible before getting caught, but Truth Publishing found that the dishonesty also starts with the brokers of hoodia - those who sell hoodia to manufacturers. Some brokers use deceptive tactics to trick manufacturers into buying their inferior stock of hoodia.

As an example, some brokers will try to sell another variety of hoodia - the varieties that don’t actually have the appetite suppressant abilities. Others will dilute their genuine stock of hoodia gordonii to increase their supply and profits by mixing it with worthless fillers such as leaves, stems and in some cases even sawdust!

In addition to testing, another method you can use to determine the authenticity of the hoodia supplement you are considering is to look for a CITES certificate. CITES is short for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. These certificates must be obtained by hoodia manufacturers from the South African government.

Only a few companies have been granted CITES certificates. Those are the only companies you can trust are selling 100% authentic hoodia supplements. See our recommended hoodia supplements to see which companies pass the test.

There are many companies who claim to be selling genuine hoodia gordonii but don’t have CITES certificates to prove it. As a result, they use counterfeit CITES certificates on their websites and other marketing literature to convince consumers that they are selling genuine hoodia gordonii.

Some of these fakes can be very convincing so it’s important to know how to spot them. A genuine CITES certificate will clearly state the name of the importer and the exporter of the product, while fake certificates will frequently have this information whited or blurred out.

Laboratory testing and real CITES certificates are the only methods to determine if your hoodia supplement contains 100% authentic hoodia gordonii.