Hoodia

Hoodia and safety

As with any other herbal supplement, Hoodia supplements should be used with caution. The manufacture of these products is not regulated by any agency. The only real way to know if what is labeled on the bottle is really in the bottle is by an evaluation in an independent laboratory. Sometimes herbal supplements contain products that are not on the label. Some of these substances in Hoodia weight loss supplements can cause liver dysfunction and damage, which was the reason Pfizer backed out of the patent. These side effects presented too much of a liability to the pharmaceutical company who was weighing the cost of risk vs. benefit. To the average user the benefit is weight loss. However, the pharmaceutical company was weighing the potential cost of law suits and manufacturing process to reduce the risk of liver damage, against the financial benefit of the sale of the product.