Buyer Beware – Hoodia Gordonii Demand now Exceeds Supply

New York, NY – Hoodia Advice, LLC (www.hoodia-advice.org) announced today that it has come to the conclusion that demand for pure Hoodia Gordonii from South Africa now exceeds available supply. This situation creates a dangerous scenario for consumers looking to buy Hoodia supplements for weight loss.

“We have spent months attending industry trade shows and talking directly to the legitimate suppliers and growers of South African Hoodia. We have reviewed CITES export permits and Cape Nature permits. In the end, it is clear that the incredible demand for Hoodia as an appetite suppressant has outpaced the available supply of Hoodia Gordonii Plant from South Africa,” states Dan Nessel of Hoodia-Advice.Org.

Nessel is not alone in his belief. Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the independent and nonprofit American Botanical Council (ABD) gave a seminar at the SupplySide East Show in Baltimore on 5/4/05. In the seminar, “Promising Herbs: Clinically Tested Botanicals Poised for Market Success”, Blumenthal stated that it was his belief that the available supply of Hoodia Gordonii from South Africa was not enough to fill all the Hoodia supplements that are currently on the market.

Why not grow more Hoodia? There has been a huge increase in the number of Hoodia farms in South Africa, but it takes 2 to 4 years to grow Hoodia Gordonii that can be cultivated. Since the Hoodia diet pill market only started taking off in 2004, most farms are still 2-3 years away from having cultivated Hoodia.

“We are making this announcement today because we are very concerned with the influx of bogus Hoodia products on the market. It may sound like a cliché, but when it comes to shopping for a Hoodia supplement it really is a case of buyer beware” states Nessel of http://www.hoodia-advice.org . “Let’s face it Hoodia is THE appetite suppressant of the moment – because it works. You have positive news stories coming out about once a week and then Hollywood buzz with the rumors that the cast of Desperate Housewives are hooked on Hoodia. This all adds up to incredible demand.”

Basic economics are at work, demand for Hoodia is sky high, supply of Hoodia is limited - this of course leads to an increase in the price of raw Hoodia. Companies that make Hoodia supplements have now reached a juncture - buy real Hoodia for over $250 a Kilo or buy fake Hoodia for $50 a kilo. Are they in it for the long run or to make a quick buck and get out?

"Companies that are looking to build relationships, gain customer trust, establish lifelong customers - these are the companies that will pay the extra money for pure Hoodia Gordonii. It is these companies that will list their full address, phone number and contact information. On the other hand, a company just looking to make a quick buck and get out, will probably just provide an email address and no other way to find the company when you realize you have been ripped off."

In the end, a Money Back Guarantee - even if you use the entire bottle of Hoodia - is your best protection from a Hoodia scam. Just make sure the company you are buying from has an address and phone number where you can reach them if you need to do a return.

Nessel believes that if consumers understand the raw cost of Hoodia Gordonii, they will be less likely to fall for low price Hoodia scams. "In the USA, the average cost for a gallon of gas is over $2. If one station had gas for 50 cents a gallon, no matter how much they claimed it was real pure gas, I would be very leery about putting it in my tank. The same holds true with Hoodia – no matter what a company claims, if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is."

The news is not all dire, Hoodia-Advice.Org still believes that you can find pure Hoodia Gordonii supplements if you do your homework. Here are some tips when shopping for a pure Hoodia Gordonii supplement:

· Demand to see lab assays and export permits for the Hoodia
· Make sure the company states their full address and phone number on their web site
· Demand a 100% money back guarantee
· Ask questions! Call the company that you are looking to do business with and see if they can fully explain where they get their Hoodia supply
· Don’t be pennywise pound foolish. Hoodia is an expensive raw material, for finished retail products expect to pay at least 70 cents per 1 gram (1,000 mg) of pure Hoodia.

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Hoodia Advice, LLC provides research and information on Hoodia Gordonii. To find out more information about Hoodia Advice, LLC please visit http://www.hoodia-advice.org