Hoodia gordonii became extremely popular as a weight loss supplement or more appropriately, an appetite suppressant. The popularity, unfortunately, is also directly correlated to its potential ban by the FDA. The weight loss industry took a hit awhile back with the ban of ephedra. Is hoodia unsafe like ephedra?

Ephedra was linked to the deaths of some young women who habitually took this strong, stimulant type appetite suppressant. Their use of ephedra lead to cardiac death and the sale of ephedra in the United States was banned by the FDA.

Now hoodia supplements have come under speculation, but it is not about safety issues; at least not directly. Hoodia is a relatively safe appetite suppressant because it is not a stimulant. Instead it fools the brain into thinking you do not need to eat even though your blood glucose levels have dropped to a level where the brain normally signals hunger.

Unless you are diabetic, this effect usually helps you surpass an appetite that became out of control over the years. Diabetics need to monitor their blood glucose levels, so hoodia is not advised for diabetic patients. Hoodia is rather innocuous for the rest of us. In fact, some proponents of stimulant type appetite suppressants feel hoodia is too mild.

So, hoodia is relatively safe, but may still be banned due to weight loss companies who offer their customers fake hoodia at low costs. There are also a few companies offering “free trials” and then signing people up for automatic shipments for which they are charged on the credit card given for the shipping costs.

Why do companies do this? Hoodia is a very popular supplement, so why do not companies just sell pure hoodia supplements legitimately? It has to do with the cost of pure hoodia and the ability to obtain it coupled with the company’s quest to low-ball their competitors.

Low-balling is an age-old revenue tactic that does not really need explanation, but the cost of pure hoodia and its scarcity is a bit more interesting. Hoodia gordonii is a cactus that grows in South Africa. It takes 3 years for the hoodia plants to mature, and they are very difficult to cultivate outside their natural climate. They are subject to fungus infections. They are not very pleasant to grow either because the scent of their blossoms is akin to rotting flesh. This scent draws flies for necessary pollination.

With the popularity of hoodia, the cactus became scarce which lead to black market trade. The South African government had to step in to preserve the species and attempt to regulate the trade. A C.I.T.E.S certification is necessary (allowing legal trade between an entity and South Africa) to obtain pure hoodia. All of this, of course, caused the price of hoodia to sky rocket.

If you want to benefit from hoodia while you can, you should expect to pay a fair price for the product; fair in this case meaning a bit pricey. If you find cheap hoodia, it probably is not the real deal, or it contains such low amounts of pure hoodia, it will not be effective.

Do you want to know which hoodia brand you can trust? Go there now and find out our preferred hoodia brand.