Finding Pure Hoodia Gordonii and the CITES Certificate

If you are in the market for hoodia diet pills, you have probably heard about CITES certificates. CITES certificates can help you locate pure hoodia gordonii products and steer you away from products that don’t use pure hoodia. I often wonder how many consumers really understand what CITES certificates are all about and what they represent in the hoodia market. I hope this article will shed some light on the topic for you.

The hoodia gordonii plant is a protected plant that is in high demand. This cactus looking plant used to only grow in the wilds of South Africa. However, the increased demand for the plant, because of its weight loss properties, has prompted many people to begin farming the plant. This led South Africa to put regulations on the plant. Regulations that not only would protect the plant, but the San people who claim it as their native plant. There are controls in place that now regulate the growing, harvesting and exportation of the hoodia gordonii plant.

One of the basic regulations put in place for the endangered hoodia gordonii is the implementation of the CITES certificate. CITES stands for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. This is basically an agreement between governments that ensures that international trade of the plant doesn’t threaten its survival. There are other regulations and documents that are required, too, but for the sake of this article I am only going to discuss the CITES certificate.

In order for a company to legally export hoodia gordonii from South Africa, an export permit from CITES must be obtained. Every shipment exported from South Africa must be accompanied by a CITES permit. These permits expire in six months, but the expiration period only pertains to the actual shipment of hoodia gordonii out of South Africa. In other words, a supplier has six months from the time they are issued a CITES permit to actually ship the hoodia gordonii out of South Africa. If they don’t and the shipment of hoodia sits in the port, the supplier must reapply for a new permit.

A lot of people are confused about the dates on these CITES permits. Some people think if they are viewing a CITES permit and the date is old, this automatically means something underhanded or shady is going on with a company. All it really means is the expiration date for exportation has passed.

When someone exports hoodia gordonii from South Africa, the original CITES permit stays with the inventory until it is gone. If a supplier exports thousands of kilograms of hoodia on one permit, they may not sell out of it for months and months. Yes, the date on the CITES permit will be expired, but the permit itself is still valid and proves the hoodia gordonii is legal and authentic. Just because a CITES permit may have expired doesn’t mean the plant that is being used is a fake, or that shady practices are involved in the business.

Another point to keep in mind is that the company or supplier shown on a CITES certificate doesn’t always match the name of the company selling the actual end product. For example, you may be interested in buying a hoodia supplement from “Helen’s Health Company” so you go to their website and you view their CITES certificate. Everything checks out except you notice the supplier shown on the permit is a company called, “Supplier Incorporated.” Shouldn’t the company listed on the permit be Helen’s Health Company? Not always.

Supplement companies purchase their hoodia gordonii from suppliers. Suppliers are the ones that are listed on the CITES permits. These are the companies that actually go in and export the hoodia out of South Africa. There are only a limited number of suppliers who can obtain CITES permits. In the above example, the ABC Company is the supplier of the hoodia gordonii to the XYZ Company.

Finally, just because a CITES certificate is displayed on a website doesn’t mean the company uses as much authentic hoodia gordonii as they claim. Hoodia products are classified as supplements so they are not regulated. As a result, companies can make claims that aren’t necessarily true. For example, you may be interested in a hoodia diet pill that contains 500mg of hoodia gordonii per capsule. You go to the company’s website and sure enough, they display a CITES permit so you immediately think the product is authentic.

The CITES permit doesn’t regulate what happens to the plant once it’s exported. The CITES certificate only serves as a sign that pure hoodia gordonii plants were exported from South Africa. A supplement company can do whatever they want with it once it is in their possession. They may even claim to be packaging 500mg of hoodia gordonii into their capsules when they really may not be.

I hope you now understand the importance of CITES certificates. Understanding what they are, and what they aren’t, should help you when you go to purchase pure hoodia gordonii.

How to Find Genuine Hoodia Gordonii

Hoodia Gordonii is one of the most sought after weight loss product since it is known that it can very efficiently curb your appetite and reduce hunger pangs making you eat less. But there are thousands of Hoodia products and selecting one particular product can be an arduous task in itself.

Yet of this astounding number, 80% of them have been proven to be fake. From containing the wrong type of Hoodia plant to having scrimped on their ingredients. The many supplements out there claiming to be 100% pure, unaltered Hoodia Gordonii are in fact fakes.

Following are some of the question you need ask that can help you get a genuine hoodia gordonii product:

1. WHICH HOODIA PLANT HAS BEEN USED? Many companies try to trick you by being vague as to which hoodia plant they mean. So if you have a product which simply mentions hoodia, chances are it does not contain hoodia gordonii but 1 of the 13 other hoodia plants that exist. Out of the many varieties of Hoodia, it is only Hoodia Gordonii which contains the active ingredient P57 which is known to suppress appetite.

2.What part of the Hoodia Gordonii plant has been used? There are a couple of hoodia products that clime to be genuine Hoodia Gordonii but what they are really made up of are leaves and flowers of Hoodia Gordonii. What need to keep in mind is that it is only the core of Hoodia Gordonii plant that contains P57 molecule which is known for its appetite suppressing qualities. Therefore, you must stay away form products that come with Hoodia Gordonii leaves and flowers instead of the core.

3. Are there any other ingredients? Make sure their are no other ingredients such as caffeine or fillers etc. This is because the presence of filers and other ingredients can reduce the effectiveness of Hoodia Gordonii. however, there is only one exception- the capsule ingredients which consist of gelatib. Even if it is in the ingredients your supplement is pure.

4. Is it an extract? There is nothing like 100% Hoodia Gordonii extract. These are all false claims and products that mention this are nothing but fake.

I think it is quite clear that there are many loop holes which have been used by most companies to pass their fake products as genuine hoodia gordonii.

But it doesnt have to be this way. You can escape this problem by bearing these 4 questions in mind each and every time you browse over a product.