CITES Certificate and Hoodia

C.I.T.E.S certificate is one of the essential documents to be checked before buying any Hoodia Gordonii Product. It is a proof of authenticity and legality of Hoodia Gordonii plants used in a particular brand of Hoodia product.

What is CITES?

C.I.T.E.S (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

CITES and Hoodia

Hoodia plants have been classified as endangered species in Southern Africa – South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia – due its large demand throughout the world after Hoodia Gordonii was researched and proved for appetite suppressing property. So Hoodia species of plants can be exported only according to the rules of CITES.

To protect Hoodia plants from vanishing completely, it has been made compulsory for a Hoodia exporter to get a certificate from CITES.

Different between “Hoodia” and “Hoodia Gordonii”

“Hoodia” is a common name of 13 species of plants resembling cactus which can be found mostly in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.

“Hoodia Gordonii” is the only Hoodia species having the active molecule P57 which has been proven to suppress appetite. No other Hoodia species has this miracle molecule.

So always look for the word “Hoodia Gordonii” in the CITES certificate not just “Hoodia”.

Hoodia Gordonii and CITES certificate

CITES certificate is a must to export “Hoodia Gordonii” from South Africa, Namibia.

As of now only these 2 countries are open for international trade of Hoodia Gordonii.

CITES certificate is issued for period of 6 months. The date on the CITES certificate indicates the date of issue of the certificate.

This certificate gives the permission to an exporter to export Hoodia Gordonii for s period of 6 months.

CITES certificate and Hoodia Product manufacturer:

Hoodia Gordonii exporters act as raw material suppliers who get CITES certificate and export Hoodia to the Hoodia Pill sellers. There are rare cases of a hoodia supplement seller buying Hoodia Gordonii directly from a farmer by getting a CITES certificate.

Most of the Hoodia diet pill manufacturers buy Hoodia Gordonii from exporters. That is why the CITES certificate displays name of the exporting company, not the Hoodia pill selling company.

So, if you find Hoodia Pill selling company’s name on the CITES certificate be suspicious about the genuineness that Hoodia supplement.

Important points:

  2. A CITES certificate does not tell you how much Hoodia Gordonii is used in manufacturing a hoodia branded products. Only laboratory tests can reveal this. C.I.T.E.S document just shows that someone has imported specified quantity of Hoodia Gordonii from Southern Africa legally.
  3. The name of the company displayed in CITES certificate isn’t always the company who is selling it to you. Usually the exporters act as raw materials suppliers. Companies can buy genuine hoodia from these exporters at very affordable prices. In most of the cases CITES certificate would not have Hoodia product seller’s name.
  4. The date shown on the CITES only reflects when the certificate was issued. Exporters get 6 months time to export Hoodia from the date of certificate issue.

Conclusion:

CITES certificate is just a proof of legitimacy and authenticity of Hoodia Gordonii exported. It just states that X Company has exported y quantity of Hoodia Gordonii legally from South Africa or Namibia.

A hoodia product with CITES certificate can be a scam. Anyone can copy and paste image of a CITES certificate, even you can do that.

It does not tell whether a specific brand of Hoodia product has used genuine hoodia gordonii or not.

How to find a Genuineness of a Hoodia Supplement ( Must read before buying any Hoodia diet supplement)

Filed under: Genuine Hoodia Gordonii -