If you have done your research on the Internet, many Hoodia sellers will claim to possess a CITES certificate. The question arises what does it mean? Here is an attempt to explain its significance.

The Hoodia gordonii is a protected plant species under the World Wildlife Act. As it is endemic to Africa only, and, until recently growing only in the wild its supply is very less compared to the demand. To protect the Hoodia from extinction and the diet industry dependent on it - the South Africa government has placed controls, regulations and licenses on its harvest and exploration.

The CITES is one such control besides many others. CITES is an abbreviation for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. It is an international trade agreement between governments. Its purpose is to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of endangered species.

An export and CITES permit (which lasts only for 6 months) is a must for any company to ship legally Hoodia from Africa . However for online buyer, it is necessary to know that if the supplier exports thousands of kilos of hoodia on the permit but the inventory don't actually sell out for more than 6 months it does not mean that the hoodia is not authentic. The permit for this shipment is still valid as it still provides proof of authenticity of the Hoodia.

Another point to be noted is that there are Exporters on whose name the CITES permit is issued and there are suppliers/sellers who sell these pills. Hence many times you will see that the names on the certificates don't match - this does not mean that the company is trying to cheat you or the Hoodia is fake.

Last but not the least, please beware that even if the company displays the CITES certificate, they many not be selling authentic Hoodia. As Hoodia is classified as supplements, they are not regulated. There was a certain amount of Hoodia allowed out of South Africa hence the certificate issued, but after the Hoodia reaches the supplier or the place where the pills are made how much is used to make the pills is not regulated, so You can not be sure of the claim that the pill contain 500 mg of Hoodia is true, the amounts could be lesser.

I hope you have understood the role of the CITES certificate in the certification of authentic Hoodia, its pills and other supplements.