Pure Hoodia Gordonii and the Importance of the CITES Certificate

If you are thinking about taking hoodia diet pills to help you with your weight loss, you probably know that CITES certificates differentiate pure hoodia gordonii from inferior hoodia products. Yet, I wonder how many people truly understand what the CITES certificate really is and why it’s so important. As a consumer I want you to know what the certificate is and what it means within the hoodia market.

As you probably already know, the hoodia gordonii plant is in high demand. But, did you know that it is a protected species and it’s in limited supply? Until recent years the cactus like plant only grew in the wild in South Africa. But, due to the increased demand for the plants weight loss effects, many people have taken to farming the plant. In order to protect the plant and the San people who have an interest in their native plant, the South African government has put regulations on the hoodia gordonii plant. This means there are licenses, regulations and controls for the growing, harvesting and exportation of the plant.

As a consumer, one of the regulations that you should know about is the CITES certificate. While there are other documents involved in the hoodia gordonii trade market, I am going to limit this article to the discussion of the CITES certificate. CITES stands for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The certificate serves as an international agreement between countries that, in essence, protects the plant from being threatened due to trade.

What this means is for someone to come in and export hoodia gordonii out of South Africa, they must first get a permit from CITES. Export permits from CITES must accompany all shipments of hoodia gordonii out of South Africa. It’s important to understand that these export permits are only good for six months. The permit holder must export the plant out within six months, or they must reapply and start the process over and obtain a new CITES permit.

A lot of people are confused about the dates on these CITES permits. Some people think if they are viewing a CITES permit and the date is old, this automatically means something underhanded or shady is going on with a company. All it really means is the expiration date for exportation has passed.

Suppose a supplier exports several thousand kilograms of hoodia on one permit, and that inventory of hoodia gordonii doesn’t actually sell out for eight or nine months. The original CITES permit, along with the original issue date shown on the permit, will always be attached to that inventory. Even though the date on the CITES permit will be older than six months, that CITES permit is still valid and still provides proof that the hoodia gordonii used is authentic. Keep that in mind as you are looking at CITES certificates from companies you are considering buying from. An older date doesn’t necessarily mean the CITES permit is invalid and the hoodia gordonii used isn’t real.

Something that is important for you to know is a CITES certificate may have a different company’s name on it than the company you are purchasing the hoodia products from. This means you may go to the XYZ Company to purchase hoodia supplements and upon viewing their CITES certificate you see the supplier’s name is ABC Company. The names on the CITES permits may not always match up.

Supplement companies get their hoodia from supply companies. Suppliers are the companies that actually go in, obtain the CITES permits and export the hoodia gordonii out of South Africa. The country is selective on giving out CITES permits and they limit the number of exports. It only makes sense that supplement companies would use a supplier to obtain their hoodia gordonii. That is why you may see a name other that the company you are purchasing your products from listed on the CITES permit.

You should know that just because a website displays a CITES certificate doesn’t guarantee that they are packing their capsules with 100% pure hoodia gordonii. Since all hoodia products are supplements and supplements are not regulated, some companies make claims about their products that aren’t true. Just because a company has a CITES permit doesn’t mean they are packaging their hoodia in a way that is beneficial to weight loss. In other words, a CITES permit should not be a green light for you to assume the product that is being sold is pure hoodia gordonii.

The CITES permit doesn’t regulate what happens to the plant once it’s exported. The CITES certificate only serves as a sign that pure hoodia gordonii plants were exported from South Africa. A supplement company can do whatever they want with it once it is in their possession. They may even claim to be packaging 500mg of hoodia gordonii into their capsules when they really may not be.

Now that you have a better understanding of what the CITES certificate is and what its role is, you know why looking for one is important when trying to find authentic hoodia gordonii diet pills and products.