What is Hoodia?

Darrell Miller

04/08/08

Date: April 08, 2008 08:52 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: What is Hoodia?

1. What is Hoodia? Despite its similar appearance, the cactus-like hoodia is characterized as a succulent plant, which is a member of the milkweed family. Though there are about 20 species within the family, the active ingredient of hoodia is found only in the gordonii variety native to South Africa's vast Kalahari Desert

2. What assurances can be made that Source Naturals Hoodia Extract is authentic? Experts in succulent horticulture have helped ensure that the raw material Source Naturals uses to make Hoodia Extract is gathered from authentic Hoodia gordonii sources. From there, our supplier has an independent laboratory test the raw material, which is then issued with a certificate of analysis qualifying it as true Hoodia gordonii.

Once Source Naturals receives the certified Hoodia gordonii from our suppliers, we hold it to our own high standards and Total Quality Assurance. By putting it through stringent testing procedures in our quality control lab, we've carefully scrutinized the material. Before it ever reaches the hand of consumers, our high-quality hoodia is put through High Performance Thin Layer Chromatographic (HPTLC) analysis for authenticity, and microbiological screening for contamination, as well as other rigorous laboratory protocols.

3. Could you explain the 20:1 ratio? 20:1 refers to the "wet to dry" ratio of the whole plant to concentrated powder. Hoodia gordonii contains an abundance of excess moisture that needs to be removed in order to make an effective, concentrated powder. The process by which that moisture is removed to yield the powder is an extraction. Basically, 20 pounds of whole plant is concentrated to one pound of the high-quality powder used to make our product.

What this means is, we've made a supplement with 20 times more functional hoodia than had we ground the plant up water and all. When you buy Source Naturals Hoodia Extract, you're getting all of the usable plant parts of the Hoodia gordonii times 20, because we've packed a greater amount of the quintessential hoodia ingredients into a powerful, concentrated powder.

4. Is a 20:1 concentrated extract more effective than 1:1 hoodia powder? We at Source Naturals certainly believe so. Unfortunately, the hoodia landscape has been unnecessarily clouded recently thanks to the misinformation circulating about concentrated extracts and so-called "100%" (1:1) hoodia powder. Most of the information is highly subjective, with no studies whatsoever to support claims that so-called "pure" powder is more efficacious than 20:1 concentrated extracts.

The common selling point for those propagating a 1:1 hoodia product is the notion that "more is better" - which, when you think about it, actually benefits a 20:1 concentrated extract. Because the logic behind using the 20:1 concentrated extract is that, in supplementation, it's not practical to ingest as much of the whole plant parts of hoodia as the San did to get the potential benefits of the plant. In using the concentrated 20:1 ratio, we're able to pack 20 times the amount of usable hoodia into our Hoodia Extract. How much more could you need?

5. Where was the hoodia in Hoodia Extract grown? On an approved farm in Northern Cape, South Africa.

6. Who is our supplier? Due to obvious business considerations, we don't want to specifically name our supplier and alert competitors to our source. However you can be assured that we receive our Hoodia gordonii from one of the industry's top suppliers, who was among the first and only importers of hoodia licensed to sell and import the plant into the United States.

7. I've heard there are sustainability issues with the plant. Is it endangered? It is true that the resources for Hoodia gordonii are limited due to early irresponsibility on those seeking to exploit the plant's benefits. However, Source Naturals Hoodia Extract has been produced with environmental sustainability in mind. We've made absolutely sure that only materials safely cultivated from the stems of seedlings grown on approved farms in South Africa have been used in making Hoodia Extract, not material indiscriminately picked in the wild.

8. How should it be used? Take one to two tablets or capsules with an 8 ounce glass of water about an hour before eating a meal.

9. Why does the label warning recommend consulting your health care professional before using this product if you are taking any prescription medication? This is a standard warning included on most Source Naturals product labels because generally it's a good idea to double check with your physician if you're taking prescription medication to make sure there aren't any special precautions you need to take while on the medication.

10. Does it contain caffeine? No. There is no caffeine in Hoodia gordonii, and Source Naturals Hoodia Extract does not contain any added caffeine.

11. Are there any side-effects? There are no known negative side-effects to taking hoodia products.