If you are not familiar with Hoodia Gordonii, the all new fad in dieting products, you are sure to learn about it soon.  Hoodia comes from a cactus plant in South Africa and has been eaten for thousands of years by the native San Bushmen in the Kalahari Desert.   The bushmen eat the Hoodia plant before a hunting trip or during periods of time they knew they won't have much food to eat.  The Hoodia plants appetite suppressant qualities allowed the San bushmen to feel full while not eating the entire day while hunting.  For desert life where the availability of food can be scarce, Hoodia provied to be a natural miracle appetite suppressant.

Hoodia, the Appetite Suppressant

So will Hoodia suppress your appetite in the industrialized world? Well, many dieters say it is a magic diet pill that's helped them lose weight with no side effects.   Hoodia has gained huge popularity due to increased media exposure. Hoodia has been on CBS 60 minutes, the BBC, CBS News, Oprah Winfrey's "O" Magazine, ABC News and most recently it was featured on the NBC Today Show with Katie Couric.  The on-slaught of news coverage for Hoodia has greatly increased the demand for Hoodia weight loss products.  And along with this, the amount of Hoodia weight loss products providing fake or impure Hoodia has also increased.

Buy Hoodia with Caution

When it comes to buying Hoodia, you have to be an informed buyer because like other diet supplements, Hoodia is not regulated.  That's right, Hoodia diet pills are not tested nor certified by any governement agency.  That's why claims of purity and claims of dosage and even claims of the actual Hoodia ingredient in Hoodia weight loss products you buy should be reviewed and scrutinized.

In recent reports, a study found that the majority of Hoodia supplements tested failed a laboratory analysis of authenticity.   While this should not necessarily stop you from buying Hoodia, caution clearly is warranted.

So how can you identify which Hoodia brand is best? Here are some things the consumer should look for:

* The company should clearly state that their Hoodia product is authentic Hoodia Gordonii from South Africa.

* Know what all the ingredients in the pill are - look for clear dosage of 800 mg per pill with a dose of 3 pills daily, one before each meal. Sufficent concentration and dosing is essential to obtain the appetite suppressant qualities of the Hoodia cactus.

* Is there a guarantee policy - make sure the Hoodia product you buy comes with a guarantee.  

* Contact information - Avoid Hoodia products that are not supported with a toll free number.  Where there is no one to contact easily, about the Hoodia product in question, there may very well be an unfavorable reason for that.

* Be wary of deep discounted Hoodia.  Because of the high demand and limited supply of raw Hoodia, the real thing by definition cannot be bottled and sold for less than $40 for its seller to recoup it costs and have something left over.

In summary, use caution, select Hoodia in large enough effectious dosage to provide you with the Hoodia appetite suppressant benefits you are seeking.