PAGE 1 - We answer emails with many questions from prospective hoodia users every 4 hours or so and many questions deserve additional treatment. Click for more Hoodia Questions and Answers
1) Q - How can the companies you recommend sell "real hoodia" when Phytopharm and Pfizer own the patent and won't start selling until 2006? A -
They own the patent on the "P57" or key ingredient IN hoodia but they cannot patent the sale of "the raw ingredients, or products made from the plant itself, seeds, cuttings, or dried plant" The hoodia gordonii plant products I recommend contain real hoodia, ground up and put into capsule form. This is perfectly legal and is actually preferred to the "mass sales of P57 derived product" coming from the big boys in 2006-2007 because it is closer to what the actual Sans Bushmen eat.
2) Q - Why do you show several slight variations of your starting weight? A - My weight has fluctuated many times in the years I have supported this site due to testing procedures. I have to "get off the hoodia, gain back some weight, clear my system of that particular brand of hoodia" in order to accurately and fairly test the next product that comes along. There are over 40 producers of some kind of Hoodia byproducts on the market and I keep testing all the time looking for another legitimate one to add to the two I know actually work. Consequently depending on what stage of testing I was at when I wrote the "starting" weight for that Hoodia page will show different numbers at different times in my life.
3) Q - I'm NOT badly overweight BUT - I am a compulsive binge eater and spend 99% of my days obsessed with food. I am preoccupied with food and cannot control my eating. I'm not "technically" overweight but I am not comfortable with my body. I want to lose some weight. Does your Hoodia help mildly overweight people or only those with severe weight problems? A - Hoodia in the products I recommend is PERFECT for this issue because what you are experiencing is the "mind game" or psychological struggle rather than genetically efficient (slow) metabolism. 60 Minutes did a story on this.
4) Q - I just bought "so and so brand hoodia" and I know I should have bought the products you have tested, but I didn't. Did I get ripped off? A - Many folks email me asking me if the company they bought from is legitimate. Sorry, but I cannot discredit or defame any other companies or their products EVEN WHEN I KNOW they do not work because I would endanger myself against lawsuits. My advice is don't waste your money and end up discouraged, buy these products or don't buy anything at all.
5) Q - You said the only effective Hoodia product comes from the core of the plant, not the stems or flowers or other combos. I bought the products you recommended and they are working. However, I looked up their certified lab reports which showed neither one comes exclusively from the core of the plant but rather the "aerial stems". How can this be? A - The core of the plant IS the stems - you obviously have never seen Hoodia Gordonii (succulent) in person. As for the "flowers" portion. Once again you are
unfamiliar with the wild plant. The flowers make up about 1% of the total plant weight, and even less of the end product of hoodia powder in the capsules. BUT
manufacturers must disclose even the SMALLEST trace elements of items in the end product even if it's presence has NO DISCERNIBLE effect on the end users
experience.
ALL products I recommend on the Products Reviewed page is from the core of the plant, has no discernible fillers, and is the highest quality available that I know of. These products are safe, have NO side effects, and are cheaper than the foods you won't be eating when you take the pills. I have thoroughly tested them and they will make you lose weight.
6) Q - The picture of your wife holding the bottle of Hoodia doesn't match the products the two companies you recommend offer. What's your story? A - The bottle is my own GENERIC private label Hoodia so as not to show preference of one company over the other. This way if one company stops producing quality products, or if I find other genuine products to recommend I don't have to shoot another picture.
7) Q - How do you get enough nutrition while virtually fasting on hoodia? A - I didn't worry about nutrition. But you can certainly take multi vitamins. My goal was to lose weight, get fit, then start again with a balanced healthy well rounded diet. There is no reason to eat "unhealthy or eat so as to NOT have enough nutrition".
8) Q - I've reached my goal weight using Hoodia, what now? A - If while using Hoodia you have developed the self control and balance to eat properly without gaining weight then cease taking the pills. Problem solved. Hoodia only stays in your system about 20 hours before being diminshed. If you overeat then you will gain the weight back. Remember the old adage "do the same thing, get the same results".
9) Q - Does hoodia interact negatively with any supplements/foods/drugs? A - There have been NO reports of any negative effects. See weight loss hoodia side effects for many peoples personal weight loss stories.
10) Q - What is hoodia? A - Hoodia is a genus in the plant family Apocynaceae, in the part of the family previously treated as a separate family Asclepiadaceae. They are stem succulents that can reach up to 1 m high and present exuberant flowers, often with flesh colour and strong smell. Hoodias are protected plants, typical of the Namib Desert, ranging from Central Namibia to southern Angola, especially in plains and rocky areas. Common names include "Bushmans Hat" and "Queen of the Namib". The medicinal use of Hoodia is long known by the indigenous populations of Southern Africa, who use these plants for treating indigestion and small infections. Recently the pharmaceutical companies discovered that Hoodia extracts can be used to lower blood pressure and reduce the appetite. This breakthrough research lead to such a demand for Hoodia plants, that a protected status was imposed in several countries like Namibia. The native Bushmans name for this plant is Xshoba. It is important to make sure when buying hoodia that you verify that your sources are growing Hoodia commercially, and not making the plant extinct in its native home. Hoodia is not a cactus. Cacti belong to the family Cactaceae, which are only found naturally in the Americas. Hoodia is a succulent, which appears similar to a cactus.If you have other questions or input please let me know about your Hoodia Gordonii plant issues.
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