Hoodia Extract? Powder? Concentrate?

Just what is the best type of Hoodia? There are so many claims and every product on the market swears that it is "the one". Here is some information that can be helpful for anyone looking for Hoodia on internet.

(PRWEB) May 29, 2006 -- Learn the differences in strength and potency claims. Anyone who has looked online for hoodia, has probably seen it all: 100% pure hoodia, 20:1 hoodia extract, hoodia "core" concentrated powder. Knowing the ways of making hoodia will help you understand the various claims:

a) Making a powder out of the whole hoodia plant -- The whole hoodia plant is ground into a powder. They claim that Bushmen ate the whole hoodia plant, and argue it's therefore the most effective way. However, Bushmen actually peel away the hoodia skin and discard it, they don't actually eat the entire hoodia plant. This is the cheapest type of hoodia to manufacture. It is also the lowest quality and least effective.

b) Using alcohol to concentrate it -- these are the 20:1 or 10:1 extracts. The idea here is that there is other stuff in hoodia, like the fiber and skin, that just takes up room in the capsule. So the hoodia plant is placed in alcohol, which "pulls out" the active ingredients into the alcohol. 20:1 means that 1 g of this extract was made by using 20 g of the whole plant. It's considered more potent than the powdered whole plant but less potent than the concentrated "core" powder. It might be noted that the San did not use an extract!

c) Concentrated "Core" Powder. This method also uses a 20 to 1 ratio but it is a wet to dry ratio of whole raw hoodia to processed, concentrated natural powder, derived from only the "core" of the hoodia plant stems. In this method, the aerial parts or stems are peeled of the spinny skins, flowers, roots and only the inner "core" or heart of the plant is used in manufacturing the powder. There is no alcohol used. Some feel that this is the method that produces a product that is closest to the hoodia that is used by the San. They peel the hoodia and eat only the inner core. However, it is dried and therefore, concentrated. This is the most expensive and most effective form of hoodia on the market so far.

d) Using a method to specially extract the p57 molecule -- only Phytopharm and its partners can do this because of the p57 patent. People often ask, "if the p57 molecule is patented, why are there so many hoodia products sold on the market?"

Phillip Jones, in his "Overview of United States Patent Law", says "…a naturally occurring molecule cannot be patented even if the patent applicant was the first to discover the existence of the molecule. On the other hand, a purified, isolated or altered form of a naturally occurring molecule may be patentable."

Because p57 naturally occurs in the hoodia plant, there is presumably some of it in the other two ways of making hoodia (type a, b, c). But according to Jones' description, only Phytopharm and its partners can use methods to specifically extract p57 from hoodia or make hoodia pills.

Consumers should also be aware that there are also hoodia products on the market that are virtually useless. These include hoodia from China, Texas, and Mexico. There is evedence that the special climate and soil conditions of the Kalahari is responsible for the high quality of the hoodia from South Africa.

So if your going to spend your money on a natural appetite suppressant, be sure to look for evidence that the product you are buying is sourced in South Africa in the form of a CITES Certificate or other documentation. Don't accept documentation with "blackend out" names. These documents are stolen off other websites or companies.

Most hoodia information on the Internet is unreliable

After looking at hoodia buyer's guides, hoodia ratings, and hoodia comparisons on the Internet, my advice is that you be very cautious. Most of these sites have been secretly created by companies trying to sell you hoodia. They explain why the hoodia in other products is inferior, even though there are no published reports showing that one is more effective.

Hoodia is expensive

There has always been a demand for quick-fix, no-pain weight loss pills. After the ban on the herb ephedra, the market was particularly ripe for the next new weight loss solution, preferably one that didn't have the same stimulating side effects as ephedra. The demand for hoodia is great, but the supply isn't. Until very recently, hoodia gordonii was only found in the wild in South Africa. Hoodia is difficult to grow. It requires 4-5 years to mature and temperatures in the range of 122F. The supply is scarce, which keeps costs high.

The correct dose of hoodia is individual

Supplement companies put a standard recommended dose on the bottle, but people often need far less or more than that amount. But it depends on a person's weight, diet, lifestyle, and metabolism.

Armed with information one can make an informed decision and have a positive experience with what is probably the most effective new aid in weight loss that has been discovered in centuries.

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