Buying Hoodia Extract

For the last several years, products containing hoodia extract have been featured in ads all over the internet and similar products are sold at large retailers. Media coverage of hoodia cactus extract and its ability to suppress the appetite has been extensive. Correspondents from CBS and the BBC have traveled to Africa to sample the plant. No one knows exactly how long hoodia gordonii has been used by South African natives. The Bushmen or San people have lived in the areas surrounding the Kalahari Desert for thousands of years. The San live a hunter-gatherer way of life. Meaning that they eat what animals they can hunt and what plants they can gather. The hoodia gordonii plant is not a particularly pleasant tasting plant, it was typically eaten by hunters to suppress appetite and thirst when other food was not available.

Products containing hoodia extract are being sold to help dieters achieve their goals. Sticking to a low-calorie diet is not an easy thing to do for anyone. People with a naturally high metabolism may not understand. People with a naturally low appetite may not understand. Those of us with a weight problem and a sluggish metabolism, but what used to be called a ?healthy? appetite understand completely. If, hoodia cactus extract can help us resist those delicious high calorie foods, then we are all for it. The problem is that not all products claiming to contain hoodia extract are equally effective.

Hoodia is a term that can refer to any number of plants, so the first goal for the consumer is to find a product that actually contains hoodia gordonii. This is the only species that has been studied for its ability to suppress the appetite of humans and animals. Phytopharm, a British pharmaceutical company, has studied the effects of their patented version of the hoodia cactus extract on overweight individuals. Results showed that these people were able to reduce their caloric intake by as much as 1000 calories per day without feeling hungry. Any product may have a placebo effect in humans; sometimes if we think it will help, it does. So, animal studies may actually be more reliable. Rats that are fed or injected with hoodia extract stop eating. Rats that will eat just about anything, just about all the time.

In order to find a product that contains hoodia gordonii and not some other type of hoodia, a little detective work is necessary. Products displaying a C.I.T.E.S. certification can be purchased with confidence. A CITES license, issued by the South African government, allows a manufacturer to export rare or endangered species. Wild stands of hoodia gordonii are protected from exportation by the government, but South African farmers have cultivated the species. This is the South African hoodia cactus extract that can be legally exported.

There are several independent websites which rank and compare the various products containing hoodia extract. Criteria for these rankings include price, product guarantee and content. For example, Hoodia XR receives high ratings because it is reasonably priced, has a money back guarantee and contains 1000mg of hoodia gordonii. There are many products that blend hoodia cactus extract with other herbs. There are only a few which contain hoodia gordonii as the sole active ingredient and 1000mg is considered a very high content. A satisfaction guarantee is important because hoodia extract does not work for everyone, but most companies offer the best price and free shipping when several bottles are purchased at once. The ability to return those extra bottles, if the first one does not effectively suppress one's appetite, is a big plus.

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