Should We Say ''Hoodia Gordinii'' or ''Hoodia Gordoni''?

The answer is quite simple: none are right! Got ya! In reality, this cactus-like plant mostly found in Africa is not called either Hoodia gordinii nor Hoodia gordoni but...Hoodia Gordonii. But I guess we are talking about the same natural appetite suppressant we have all heard about on Oprah. But does Hoodia (Gordinii, Gordoni or Gordonii) only grows in South Africa? Hmmm, let's see...

The Hoodia origine Game

There seems to be much talk in the marketplace that your Hoodia Gordonii must be from South Africa and that the only way to ensure this is to look for certain credentials. (more about the credentials game in the next column). It is true that Hoodia Gordonii grows naturally in South Africa. If you look at a CITES Certificate you will see that box 10 section A indicates the source of the Hoodia. A classification of 2W indicates that the Hoodia was sourced in the wild as opposed to a classification of 2A which indiates the Hoodia was grown artificially. Did you know that Hoodia Gordonii is also grown in China and that Hoodia is usually classified as 2A. Did you know that there is NO indication that hoodia not from south africa in any less effective. It just so happens that most of the research that has been done on the Hoodia that has originated from South Africa.