PURE HOODIA HAS NO KNOWN SIDE EFFECTS OR WARNINGS...

Other than suppressing appetite and sometimes thirst, that is! When taking 100% pure, genuine South African Hoodia, it is important for dieters to be aware of their fluid intake. Taking Hoodia may decrease your thirst sensation, leading to dehydration. Strive for at least 10-12 glasses of water each day. Read about the importance of water to your health and to your weight loss efforts on this previous post.

Phytopharm Pharmaceuticals has been researching the supplement for years and the studies performed to date have not yielded a single warning or undesirable effect from Hoodia gordonii. It appears to be a very safe and effective supplement. Laboratory animals injected with purified P57, which is the active appetite-suppressing molecule in Hoodia, exhibited no toxic effects. Volunteers in Phytopharm's clinical studies reported no side effects, and private physicians who have monitored Hoodia users have not reported any toxicities.

The problem is that only pure Hoodia is safe and effective. If the product you purchase contains other ingredients (instead of or in addition to Hoodia) then it may be a totally different story. For example, many companies are combining Hoodia with green tea in order to cut down on the amount of Hoodia needed per dose (Hoodia is very expensive, as we know now). Green tea can be an effective appetite suppressant, however it contains the stimulant caffeine, which can cause headache, restlessness, irritability, insomnia, increased blood pressure, and increased heart rate. These side effects are from the green tea alone, as Hoodia does not possess any stimulant properties.

If you are taking Hoodia and experience any of the above side effects, check the labelling of the supplement carefully. Chances are that it contains green tea or other natural stimulants in addition to (or instead of) pure Hoodia. Also, if you are taking a supplement that you think is Hoodia and it is not suppressing your appetite when taken at the recommended dosage, read the package carefully. Pure Hoodia gordonii from South Africa works, whereas products that do not contain this genus of Hoodia or that combine small amounts of it with other ingredients or fillers are a waste of your money, as they will not work.

MORATORIUM ON HOODIA EXPORTS FROM SOUTH AFRICA

An article published in the "Cape Times" on 11/24/06 stated that there has been a moratorium placed on Hoodia exports from South Africa due to illegal harvesting and exportation of the plant. I have discussed the authentication and exportation process of genuine Hoodia from South Africa in some of my earlier posts, along with the fact that pure, genuine Hoodia Gordonii is a rare and expensive product. It now appears that the product has been exploited so much by people trying to get rich quickly by selling products that contain little pure Hoodia that the plant is in danger of extinction within two years unless drastic action is taken by the South African governments. The exportation of Hoodia has been banned at this time until the governments are able to gain control of illegal harvesting and exportation of this rare succulent.

You can read some of my earlier posts regarding the governmental controls over the exportation and importation of Hoodia Gordonii, including the CITES certificate that is issued by the government of South Africa allowing for legal export of the plant.

Hoodia's active appetite suppressant ingredient was patented in 1997 and the South African government signed a license agreement with a British pharmaceutical company to market it as a weight-loss aid. The sad thing is that this was all done without involvement of the San Bushmen, who have used Hoodia as an appetite suppressant and thirst quencher for thousands of years while on long hunting trips in the desert; the San Bushmen and their knowledge of the plant's properties are what led to the research of Hoodia in the first place. I will also add that the San Bushmen have not been the ones to profit from the lucrative exportation of the product, either.

HOODIA TIP- AVOID "FREE" 14 DAY TRIALS OF HOODIA

Let's remember that Hoodia is a rare and expensive supplement. Why would any company give away about $60 worth of Hoodia for the cost of shipping and handling only? Because the product is not pure Hoodia and is probably not even worth the cost of the shipping in the first place!

Pure Hoodia is valuable, and no company selling the real product will give it away for free, because they know that they don't have to; they know that they are selling a genuine product that will work and will keep people coming back for more. However, in the case of the companies selling fake Hoodia, they reel you in with a free trial, get your credit card number for the shipping charge, and they end up charging you for a 30-day supply after the 2 week trial (many times this is a condition of the free trial, written in small print, which you agree to unknowingly when you order). To make matters worse, it has been exposed that oftentimes these companies are "fronts" for illegitimate scams who are out to take your money, not to help you to lose weight. There have been many stories in the news about people who have been taken by these companies and have been unable to locate a phone number, address, or even an e-mail address where they can complain and resolve the matter of recurring credit card charges. The reason for this is obvious. These companies do not want to hear from customers.

I have visited the sites of several companies advertising "free Hoodia trials" and have found that they lack the documentation of CITES certificates and authenticity for their products. The terms of the trial were very vaguely spelled out, and when I tried the contact phone number from one site I got a generic phone-tree with no option to speak with a "live" person. My advice is to investigate a company thoroughly before buying; just as you have seen that you have to investigate the product to be sure that it is pure Hoodia, you should make sure that the company is accessible. Is there a clearly written complaint and return policy? Is there a mailing address and an e-mail contact form? What about a phone number? Before buying, I would try e-mailing a question or concern to see if the company gets back to you. I did this with
Desert Burn, and they responded with an answer within 48 hours. If there is a phone number on the website, call it. Make sure that you get a legitimate company with the option to speak with a real person.

We all work too hard for our money to just give it away to an unscrupulous company wanting to scam us. We can prevent being the victims of this fraud by doing a little bit of research upfront. If an offer and a product seems too good to be true, then it is!