If you shop for your Hoodia online, there are various sites mentioning endorsements but the Oprah Winfery show. The appearance and endorsement is done by Oprah herself of these Hoodia supplements. Well, there is no truth behind these claims.

Some sites have the audacity to even claim that Hoodia has been seen on Oprah Winfery show, that Oprah uses Hoodia but there is no evidence to support the claims. The entire search on the Internet, television program schedules, newspaper and magazine archives none mention Hoodia. Even a search run on her website doesn't reveal any connection between the lady and Hoodia, in fact the word Hoodia isn't there on the Oprah Winfery website!

There is a minor mention of Hoodia in an article in Oprah Winfery's magazine O, mind you the article too, wasn't written by her, this has been mentioned as “an endorsement” published in the July 2005 issue, titled; "Diet Pills: The Next Generation."

As I wasn't able to find an archive copy of the article online, so I purchased the magazine issue on eBay. There was a large picture of a San Bushman holding a piece of the Hoodia gordonii. However, I found no connection or mention of Hoodia by Oprah Winfery, leave alone endorsements.

The article in the magazine opens with the first two paragraphs talking about the history of Hoodia and the popularity of Hoodia pills. However, it doesn't talk very highly of these Hoodia supplements. The article says that there has been little proof that Hoodia works as most supplements contain very small amount of it. Would you call this high regard for the Hoodia supplements, at all?

The rest of the article talks about how pharmaceutical firms like Unilever and Phytopharm are racing to come out with the miracle weight loss pill. Then there is no mention of Hoodia beyond the first two paragraphs. Here you are! There is no Hoodia Oprah connection at all - at least not through O magazine.

What I'm surprised about, and wondering at, is that Oprah's legal department hasn't come down hard on these websites for these illegal claims. Very often these websites twist the magazine article so far that they make it sound like Oprah herself endorsed their brand of Hoodia in her magazine. The next time you see claims that Oprah endorsed a brand of Hoodia or that there is some kind of Hoodia-Oprah connection, you will know the truth.