Hoodia Gets Dirty
What is promised to be a great treatment for one of the western world's fastest growing diseases, obesity, is also turning in to a marketing catfight.For the uninitiated, Hoodia Gordonii was identified by the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in the 1960's as a potential appetite suppressant.Used for generations by Kalahari Bushmen for generations as a way of defeating hunger on long and arduous hunting trips, the CSIR worked with a UK company Phytopharm to identify the active ingredient in Hoodia.
This they did, and Phytopharm named this ?miracle molecule' P57 (it was their 57th ?discovery).With Unilever now in partnership with Phytopharm to commercialise Hoodia, it promises to be a great support in the battle to stick to a healthy eating plan.Now although P57 is patented, the plant itself can not be, which has led to a deluge of
manufacturers of natural herbal supplements all producing Hoodia products, and causing a mass market confusion in it's wake.One of the worst examples of this is the growing number of so called ?Hoodia consumer websites'. The emphasis should be on ?con' in consumer, as these are mostly run by Hoodia manufacturers themselves, hidden under different identities. They claim to compare different brands under carefully selected criteria, with their brand of course at the number one position.With new comparison sites coming out every few weeks, the best advice is simply to discount them, and then make your own mind up about whether you can trust the brand.Another tactic that is confusing the consumer is
the supposed differences in the quality of other brands. The most common is to do with the term ?extract'.
Some companies claim that they sell an extract which is more powerful than non-extract products. (What is an extract? An extract is a concentrated from of a herb, that is derived after the crude herb has been mixed with water, alcohol, or another solvent and distilled or evaporated.).No one is selling Hoodia Gordonii extract, as it would be violating the patent held by CSIR (which has been leased to Phytopharm, who in turn have leased it to Unilever).
Any company claiming to sell a Hoodia extract had better watch their step ? apart from misleading consumers, Phytopharm and Unilever are unlikely to ignore such blatant patent theft.Another common deceit is to claim to be 100% Hoodia while selling at what seems a really great low price. How can they do it? Simple ? they're telling the truth. They're using the whole of the plant, rather than the ?heart' of the plant which contains the active ingredient.
As the ?skin' of the Hoodia can account for as much as 40% of the weight, your 100% pure may only be 60% pure and not quite the bargain that you imagined.All the ?Hoodia wars' seem to be doing is confusing potential customers, who become less able to take an informed decision about which product is best for them.Here are 4 questions that anyone wanting to buy Hoodia should ask, before parting with any money:1.???Is this genuine Hoodia Gordonii from the Kalahari region of Southern Africa? (Hoodia is now being grown in China, Texas and elsewhere, and there is evidence that the Kalahari soil contributes to the effectiveness of the plant)2.???What part of the plant is used? (Remember, it's only the core of the plant that has been identified as having the active ingredient).3.???Is it an extract or powder? (The right answer is powder).4.???Is it Hoodia GORDONII? (There are many different types of plants in the Hoodia family ? it is the Hoodia Gordonii that has been shown to be the appetite suppressant).And remember:????If the price is low, likely the quality of the product will be.????If it's number one on some consumer comparison chart, what else are they ?fixing'?????If they're vague about their product and simply bombard you with hype ? it's likely the product can't stand up on it's own merit..
Two years after 60 Minutes Launched the Hoodia Industry - Is Authentic Hoodia Actually Available?
Copyright 2006 Hoodia Advice, LLC
In Nov 2004 Leslie Stahl of CBS News 60 Minutes went to South Africa, ate some Hoodia and proclaimed "no desire to eat or drink the entire day. I'd have to say it did work"
and unintentionally launched a
red hot Hoodia supplement industry.
In case you have a
terrific spam filter ? here is the 411 on Hoodia.
Hoodia Gordonii is a succulent plant that grows in South Africa.
The SAN Bushmen have chewed on Hoodia for close to 1,000 years to reduce their appetite while on long hunting trips.
Hoodia is now a highly sought after plant for it ability to suppress appetite.
In fact, Hoodia Gordonii is in such high demand it is considered a protected plant and can only be exported with a special permit from the government of South Africa (a CITES permit).
It has now been almost two years since Hoodia as an appetite suppressant burst onto the diet scene so let's...
Hoodia > Two years after 60 Minutes Launched the Hoodia Industry - Is Authentic Hoodia Actually Available?
Hoodia Gordonii Diet Pills Exposed: Two-Thirds of Hoodia Supplements Sold in the United States May Be Counterfeit, Independent Investigation Reveals
(ContentDesk) August 8, 2005 -- An investigative report by consumer health advocate Mike Adams and natural health publisher Truth Publishing reveals that nearly two-thirds of the tested hoodia gordonii weight loss pills sold in the United States contain no detectable levels of genuine hoodia herb. Published at the Natural Health Report (http://www.NaturalHealthReport.com), this report reveals that skyrocketing demand for hoodia weight loss pills has created a golden opportunity for con artists who peddle sawdust, leaves and other plant material as weight loss supplements.???The author of this report, health advocate Mike Adams, sells no nutritional products and earns no commissions or advertising fees of any kind from vitamin or supplement companies. The investigation is 100% independent and is based on verifiable laboratory tests conducted on sealed product samples by Alkemist Pharmaceuticals (
Hoodia Gordonii Diet Pills Exposed: Two-Thirds of Hoodia Supplements Sold in the United States May Be Counterfeit, Independent Investigation Reveals
Hoodia > Hoodia Gordonii Diet Pills Exposed: Two-Thirds of Hoodia Supplements Sold in the United States May Be Counterfeit, Independent Investigation Reveals
Does Hoodia Promote Weight Loss That's Too Fast?
Memphis, TN (ContentDesk) June 14, 2006 -- Health officials and weight loss experts say they believe the newly discovered Hoodia Gordonii, a plant that tricks the brain by making the stomach feel full, is the silver bullet theyve been seeking for decades.???A new pill, called DiatrinH, contains the appetite suppressant Hoodia, which is found inside cactus trees in the African Kalahari desert. The San Bushmen of the Kalahari, one of the worlds oldest and most primitive tribes, have been eating Hoodia for thousands of years to stave off hunger during long hunting trips.The first scientific investigation of the plant was conducted at South Africas national laboratory. Because Bushmen were known to eat hoodia, it was included in a study of indigenous foods. "What they found was when they fed it to animals, the animals ate it and lost weight," says Dr. Richard Dixey, who heads an English pharmaceutical company called Phytopharm.In the study, people given hoodia ended up eating about 1...
Does Hoodia Promote Weight Loss That's Too Fast?
Hoodia > Does Hoodia Promote Weight Loss That's Too Fast?
60 Minutes Report on Hoodia
(ContentDesk) March 29, 2006 -- Each year, people spend more than $40 billion on products designed to help them slim down. None of them seem to be working very well. Now along comes Hoodia. Never heard of it? Soon it'll be tripping off your tongue, because Hoodia is a natural substance that literally takes your appetite away. It's very different from diet stimulants like Ephedra and Phenfen that are now banned because of dangerous side effects.
Hoodia doesn't stimulate at all. Scientists say it fools the brain by making you think you're full, even if you've eaten just a morsel. Correspondent Lesley Stahl reports."Hoodia, a plant that tricks the brain by making the stomach feel full, has been in the diet of South Africa's Bushmen for thousands of years."Because the only place in the world where Hoodia grows wild is in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa. So how did it work? There are no after effects - no funny taste in your mouth, no queasy stomach, and no racing heart. Your also...
60 Minutes Report on Hoodia
Hoodia > 60 Minutes Report on Hoodia
Pure Hoodia
The South African Research Institute, CSIR, started a study on Hoodia Gordonii, a succulent growing wild in the Kalahari Desert. This plant has a reputation amongst the San tribe as a hunger suppressant. They chew this plant during their long hunting expeditions to prevent hunger. CSIR isolated the active molecule, named it P 57 and patented it in 1997. They sold the rights to a British company, Phytopharm, in 1998 to test and market the product.
In a double blind test, conducted by Phytopharm, 400 mg per day of Hoodia Gordonii powder, for 15 days, reduced the calorie intake by 1,000 compared to the control group.
Capsules, pills, tincture and diet gum all followed. This obviously includes genuine as well fly-by-night operators. The only thing that they could not do is to claim that their product is an aid for weight loss. That would be a patent violation. So they market it as a food supplement.
Phytopharm teamed with Pfizer of USA, a pharmaceutical...
Hoodia > Pure Hoodia
Hoodia Buying Information
There are many Hoodia products on the market these days and of course you want the best Hoodia product for you and your diet. Before you buy Hoodia and spend your hard earned dollars you need to know some facts.South African Hoodia Gordonii is where it all started and when the authentic extract comes from. Do not buy anything that is not pure Hoodia Gordonii or you will simply be wasting your money. You may see some Hoodia products that are 20:1 or does not show you the exact contents. These are products to stay away from.
You need to be buying products that display full information and that you know you can track back to it's original producer in South Africa. Many people have bought Hoodia products only to find out that it is mostly rice products. Most Hoodia Gordonii sold on the internet are nothing but products filled with an unidentified product. It could be starch, rice powders and in somecase people have even discovered sawdust. This is just outright fraud.In recent years...
Hoodia Buying Information
Hoodia > Hoodia Buying Information
Anti-SUV Crowd Entertained By New Hummer Parody Web Site
Sacramento, CA (ContentDesk) April 15, 2006 -- A growing number of people are against sport utility vehicles and these activists are having a good laugh at the web site, HummerH8.com.The word about a new Hummer parody web site has been spreading around the Internet lately. HummerH8.com is growing in popularity and has already amassed quite a following. The site is devoted to the fictional sport utility vehicle dubbed the Hummer H8.As many web surfers know, in Internet slang, H8 also refers to...
Hoodia suv Hoodia Gets Dirty Anti-SUV Crowd Entertained By New Hummer Parody Web Site
Hoodia > Anti-SUV Crowd Entertained By New Hummer Parody Web Site
Detox Diet
The phrase "detox diets" specifically refers to a class of diets that help in discharging toxins accumulated in the body. One of the major reasons for a detox diet is overeating during special occasions.
The human body is exposed to toxins of undefined nature either from the food they eat, the environment, and its own waste. As these toxins increase, the human body is exposed to a number of illnesses like weight gain, cellulite, headaches, dull skin, fatigue, aches and pains, and...
Hoodia > Detox Diet
Plasma vs LCD TVs
For a layman, there seems to be no difference between a plasma and LCD TV. Both provide high-resolution, high-contrast images and both are flat, sleek and can be mounted on a wall. The difference lies in the technology that drives them.
Plasma TVs work with inert gases like xenon or neon, which are excited by electric pulses from specialized cells called pixels. This makes the gases glow. These glowing gases, in turn, produce the correct blend of red, blue and green light on the pixels....
Hoodia > Plasma vs LCD TVs
Waterville Valley - Home Again, Home Again By Ken Sheldon
(ContentDesk) August 29, 2005 -- He didn't know it then, but Twain could have been speaking of Waterville Valley, New Hampshire ? a historic vacation resort in the White Mountains. Or is it a quaint New England village that incorporates the latest urban planning techniques? Or a hot market for investment property? Actually, Waterville Valley is all those things, as evidenced by its newest project, Moose Run, which consists of the last of the single-family lots to be offered in the valley. Adjacent...
Hoodia Hoodia Gets Dirty Waterville Valley - Home Again, Home Again By Ken Sheldon
Hoodia > Waterville Valley - Home Again, Home Again By Ken Sheldon
Kissimmee, Florida Marks 105 Years of Electric Service
Kissimmee, FL (ContentDesk) June 28, 2006 - Today marks the 105th anniversary of municipally-owned electric service in Kissimmee, Fla.It was during a Kissimmee City Council meeting on June 28, 1901, that a resolution was passed authorizing the city's purchase of Kissimmee Electric Light Company from W.C. Maynard for 4,293.59.Maynard, a Kissimmee resident, had owned and operated the private power company in Kissimmee under contract with the city since December 4, 1900.Upon the purchase, a committee...
Hoodia Kissimmee, Florida Marks 105 Years of Electric Service
Hoodia > Kissimmee, Florida Marks 105 Years of Electric Service