It is important to educate yourself about what to look for, and just as importantly what to avoid, when shopping for a top rated hoodia supplement.

When it comes to finding the best hoodia ratings, keep in mind that most of the sites which claim to provide honest and objective information about hoodia are in fact nothing more than sales sites. While these sites often provide a great deal of valuable information, they have one main agenda in the end - to sell you something.

As you're browsing through hoodia ratings, don't be surprised if the top rated hoodia on the list also happens to be the very product that website sells! Now I don't want to be an alarmist and make you thing that everything you see has an agenda. There are a few websites out there that have honest and objective hoodia ratings, but you need to know what to look for.

The first thing you'll need to know before you can make sense of all those hoodia ratings, is what exactly is hoodia? Hoodia is a cactus-like plant that is known to suppress appetite and is native to the South African Kalahari Desert. There are 13 varieties of hoodia, but only the hoodia gordonii variety has the potential ability to suppress appetite.

For any hoodia supplement to be effective, it must contain 100% pure hoodia gordonii. That is very important to understand as you sift through all those hoodia ratings. You only want those supplements that contain 100% pure hoodia gordonii. Not all hoodia supplements are the same. In fact, recent lab tests have shown that well over half of all hoodia supplements are either fake or contain very little hoodia gordonii.

Other important points to consider when reviewing hoodia ratings:

1. Hoodia supplements, like all supplements, are not regulated. Just because a hoodia ratings website says, "such and such brand is the top rated hoodia supplement," doesn't mean a thing! Do your research.

2. A recent study conducted by a consumer watchdog agency found that 11 of 17 hoodia supplements failed - meaning they had very little hoodia gordonii or none at all!

3. Authentic hoodia gordonii is extremely rare, and therefore the prices of top rated hoodia supplements tend to be very expensive. Be skeptical of cheap hoodia products.

4. When reviewing hoodia ratings, look for those products that are backed with CITES certificates. A CITES certificate (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is required for the extraction of hoodia gordonii from its native environment. Only a few companies have been granted these certificates. If a company doesn't have a CITES certificate, they don't have 100% pure hoodia gordonii!

Sorting through hoodia ratings is not always easy because they can look so real. Just remember the best hoodia supplements aren't cheap and should contain 100% pure hoodia gordonii (which can be proven with the CITES certificate).

Doing an Internet search on "hoodia ratings" and just believing what you see isn't the wisest move. The simple tips provided here will save you money in the long run and help you find the top rated hoodia you're looking for to get the weight loss results you desire.