Am I Buying Pure Hoodia?
If you are purchasing hoodia gordonii supplements, you should be concerned about the quantity of pure hoodia each capsule contains.
While you can look at the capsule, you probably have no idea exactly what you are looking at. You probably see fine powder or granules in the capsule, but exactly what that powder is, you have no idea.
The hoodia gordonii succulent plant consists of roots, spines, flowers, skin and the pulpy heart. Only the pulpy heart of the plant contains the active ingredient, P-57, that help suppress the appetite.
What is Pure Hoodia Gordonii?
This means that a manufacturer of hoodia could claim its product is "pure hoodia" even though it has components of the hoodia plant that have no value. Some manufacturers may consider it a waste of effort and money to cut off the stems, remove the spines, flowers, and skin to process only the valuable pulp.
Not only that, but the capsule you just bought with the hope of getting slim quickly may contain little or no hoodia at all. Some capsules contain mostly fillers such as plant fiber (a common name for saw dust), lactose (powered milk), sucrose (table sugar), dibasic calcium phosphate (I don't even want to know what that is), and many other inert and, hopefully, non-toxic fillers.
So, how do you tell if a vendor is providing pure hoodia gordonii?
What to Look For in Pure Hoodia
First, authentic hoodia gordonii originates in South Africa. Any claims growers have to genuine hoodia must be backed up with a CITIES certificate of authenticity. If it is grown in the United States, it must be backed up with a USDA import permit.
The product being sold should also be verified by an independent testing laboratory that has conducted a scientific test of the capsule's contents. Appropriate tests for hoodia gordonii include HPTLC (simultaneous testing of a sample and a known standard), HPLC (high performance liquid chromotography), Microscopy/DPI (high definition microscopic examination), and direct assay of the active component, "P57".
Manufacturers of pure hoodia gordonii will gladly provide these certificates and results of laboratory analysis. If a manufacturer does not provide this documentation, stay away from their products; they are not pure hoodia gordonii.
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