Hoodia products have taken the world by storm in recent years, and there's a bit of a debate about what's real and what's fake. There are some guidelines you can use though, which will help you avoid fake Hoodia products. Buying real Hoodia will help supress your appetite drastically, and chances are you'll lose a lot of weight in the process.

1. There are actually several different types of Hoodia plants, but only the one called "Hoodia Gordonii" will actually supress your appetite. So if you find products for sale which say "100% natural Hoodia", chances are you're not going to get the actual Gordonii version which will help with your weight loss goals.

2. When buying online, you should look for a CITES certificate on the product you're considering. This is issued by International trade laws, and confirms you'll actually get natural Hoodia Gordonii.

3. Don't be sidetracked by advertisements that say they're made with the whole plant. The Hoodia Gordonii skin, leaves, flowers and other fibrous materials have no active weight loss ingredients. For full effects, you'll need products created from the core of the Hoodia Gordonii plant.

4. Some products will give you a ratio number such as ten to one (10:1). This means that 10 grams of plant was used to prepare one gram of the Hoodia Gordonii product you're buying. If you're buying a concentrated product then, a 500mg product would be better than a 1000mg one that's made from the whole plant.

5. Realize that some Hoodia products have metabolic boosters added to them. These are designed to help increase your metabolism, and that can be a good thing. Since Hoodia Gordonii only reduces your appetite - it doesn't also increase your metabolism - having something added which does that can help increase the overall weight and fat loss results you obtain.

Be aware that if you're sensitive to natural stimulants such as caffeine, you may want to avoid products which have these metabolic boosters added in. If that's the case, you'll want to buy products which are 100% real Hoodia Gordonii instead.

Hoodia Gordonii is 100% natural. It's an herb that has no known side effects, so anyone can use the products. It can be purchased at various health food stores and online locations in various forms including powders, pills, capsules and liquid. Using the tips above should help you avoid fake hoodia products, and help you start getting the weight loss results you desire quickly.

© 2006, Kathy Burns-Millyard. Looking for more information about Hoodia Gordonii? Visit ScaleTippers.com for in depth weight loss articles, tips and advice, plus a comparison on three excellent products that can help you start losing weight today. For great content like this that you can legally add your affiliate links and name to, please see The Guru Gazette Private Label Content Packages