1) Price - Yes, price is a factor! As consumers, we all love to hunt for bargains and good deals, but the old saying that you get what you pay for rings true here. Real Hoodia is rare and expensive.
2) C.I.T.E.S. Certificate - CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Look for companies that clearly display CITES certificates.
3) Independent Lab Testing - Another key factor to consider before you buy Hoodia Gordonii is independent lab testing on the diet pill.
4) Hoodia Gordonii Content - in general, you should look for diet pills that contain at least 400mg of Hoodia Gordonii.
5) Read the Product Label Carefully - Ensure the label specify which part of the plant is used in the product.
In part 2 and 3, we'll review a few more Hoodia Gordonii diet pills including Hoodia 750, Hoodia Dex L10, Desert Burn, and Hoodoba.
Hoodia 750 Review
It gets a little confusing when it comes to Hoodia 750, partly because there are multiple products named "Hoodia 750" that's available. There is a Hoodia 750 by Lab88, a Hoodia 750 by Superfoods, a Super Hoodia 750, a Hoodia Super 750 with Coral Calcium, and many more. There's at least a dozen or more different brands of diet pills named Hoodia 750 or using something similar to that name. We're not going to review all of these Hoodia 750 diet pills, but one thing for certain is that most of them probably would not pass the 5 guidelines we use to evaluate Hoodia diet pills, and sure enough, there's even one Hoodia diet pill mixed with coral calcium and sea veggie!
The one Hoodia 750 product that seems most promising of the bunch is the Hoodia 750 from Lab88 - it seems to fit in with the 5 guidelines quite well. On the front page of Hodia 750's website, the product label is easily visible, and there are two easily accessible links to CITES certificate and Lab testing results.
The Label clearly shows each capsule of Hoodia 750 contains 750mg of the ingredient, with no other ingredients added; however, the label does not provide information on which parts of the Hoodia plant is used. So it's only a partial pass. I also find it strange on the label, it says "Hoodia 750 utilizes the Hoodia P 50 forumla to promote weight loss." Well, I'm only aware of the active ingredient called Hoodia P57, but have not heard of anything called Hoodia P50 - maybe I'm missing something?
Another bone I'd like to pick with this Hoodia 750 is that the images of the CITES certificate and independent lab test results are pitifully small, that it's almost unreadable. Maybe it's because my screen resolution (2560 X 1600) is too high, making the image too small, but even after zooming in 150%, it seems a little fuzzy. The certificate of analysis doesn't clearly indicate who the report is made for, unlike the ones done by Alchemists Pharmaceuticals where the "Report Issued To" is clearly visible.
Hoodia Dex L10 Review
Hoodia Gordonii Dex L10 is sold by Delmar Labs, and is available from various retailers such as Rite Aid, GNC, Drugstore, Walgreens among several other big names. Hoodia Dex L10 has been featured on 60 minutes show, and also has independent clinical trials conducted to demonstrate the efficacy of its Hoodia diet pill.
Hoodia Gordonii DEX L10 Study
In our Hoodia Diet Pill guide, we mentioned the clinical trial performed by Dr. Richard M. Goldfarb in Morrisville, PA.. He conducted a small study involving Hoodia Gordonii on people and found it effective. The study involved only 7 subjects using Hoodia Gordonii DEX L10, a 500mg Hoodia capsule sold by Delmar Labs. Dr. Goldfarb did the study for the manufacturer of Hoodia DEX L10, but says there was no financial compensation.
In the study, the 7 subjects took 2 Hoodia Gordonii DEX L10 caps each day, keeping all other eating and exercising habits unchanged with a starting body weight ranging from 193 to 345lbs. The subjects lost 3.3% body weight on average over the 28 day study. The participants reported a lowered caloric intake within just a few days of taking DEX L10, and there were no reported side effects.
In his report, Goldfarb says: "Hoodia gordonii works within the satiety center of the brain by releasing a chemical compound similar to glucose but up to 100 times stronger. The hypothalamus receives this signal as an indication that enough food has been consumed and this in turn decreases the appetite." However, this study was not published in a scientific journal and was not peer reviewed - because it conducted as an efficacy study to find out if the product actually works. (Source: WebMD, Clinical trial details also featured on Dex L10 website)
Hoodia Dex L10 has clinical trials that proved the efficacy of the diet pill, although the study itself was not peer reviewed. The label of Hoodia Gordonii Dex L10 also meets our guidelines by clearly stating the parts of the plant used in the product, and each pill also contains 500mg of Hoodia Gordonii, with no added ingredients.
Next up, we take a look at the CITES certificate. A quick look on the DEX L10 website, and you find a "certification" link. There's a short spiel about the certification process done by an independent firm called Abarex; however, I was unable to find any CITES certificate posted on their website. So Hoodia Dex L10 fails in this area. As well, I found it interesting that in a random testing of the Dex L10 Hoodia diet pill at Alchemists Pharmaceuticals, they could not confirm the presence of Hoodia Gordonii in Dex L10! Could Hoodia Dex L10 be using fillers in their Hoodia diet pills? See this PDF file of the Alkemists lab test results of Dex L10.
Green Tea and Hoodia
Delmar Labs offers two types of Dex L10, a standard Hoodia Dex L10, and a Hoodia Dex L10 Complete. The main difference between these two products is that the original Hoodia Dex L10 (green box) contains nothing but Hoodia Gordonii, and Dex L10 (red box) Complete contains other stimulants such as green tea extract, evodia fruit, and caffeine. Green tea seems to be a popular addition in Hoodia diet pills that contain additional ingredients for its thermogenic properties. Hoodia Dex L10 contains:
DEXL10-Hoodia Gordonii (stem)
Green Tea Extract (90% Polyphenols/75% Catechins)
Guarana Seed Extract (Standardized to 22% Caffeine)
Evodia Fruit(10:1 Powdered Extract)
Rhodiola Root Extract (Standardized To 3% Rosavins)
Digezyme** (Providing Amylase Protease Lipase Lactase Cellulase)
Bloperine (Standardized to 95% Piperine)
So, how do you interpret the conflicting information we dug up on Hoodia Dex L10? It would seem that Hoodia Dex L10 does well in some respect but fails in others. It labels its product perfectly, it doesn't contain any additional ingredients, and an independent study found Hoodia Dex L10 to be effective in suppressing appetite and helping subjects lose weight. On the other hand, no CITES certificate could be found, and a random lab testing could not confirm the presence of Hoodia Gordonii. As it stands, we neither recommend, nor disapprove of Hoodia Dex L10. But we do believe there are other Hoodia products that meet the guidelines provided. To see which ones, read part 4 of our hoodia buying guide, click below.
