Update 1/20/20. Japanese Hokkaido Weight Loss Pills are another in a long line of weight loss supplements from Japan, China, Vietnam, etc. aimed predominately at Americans. I admit I'd never heard of these slimming pills until it was brought to my attention by one of the readers of my blog. At various websites, these pills are said to be “in high demand,” and when I checked eBay, I saw some people selling them for over $60! Do these slimming pills work? Let’s see what the research says. This review contains updated and new information, thanks to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who tested Hokkaido weight loss pills and discovered what I suspected from the start… Also, see the review of Slim Trim U for more info.
Hokkaido Pills Ingredients
Hokkaido weight loss pills contain these ingredients.
- Dill Extract
- Chinese rose extract
- Trumpet Creeper extract
- Evening primrose extract
- Lotus
Is there any evidence that these ingredients help people lose weight? Let’s look at the research and see:
Dill Extract
They don’t tell you what “extract” they are talking about, but when I searched for weight loss research on dill, I found nothing. Dill does seem to have a diuretic effect so it may act as a natural water pill. I'm guessing that is why it’s in the ingredients.
Women who may be pregnant should avoid Hokkaido Weight Loss Pills. There is some speculation that dill may cause menstrual bleeding. I cannot find any research or case studies to substantiate this, however, but it is something to consider.
Chinese Rose Extract
Again, they do not tell us what specific extract they are talking about. What is the scientific name of the Chinese rose they are using? If anyone knows, let me know, and I will update this review.
Trumpet Creeper Extract
If you search for research on Trumpet Creeper, online, it can be a little difficult to find because its scientific name is Campsis radicans. Another name –albeit less scientific – is cow itch, which is a reference to how farm animals sometimes get a rash when they rub against it. This makes sense since the name “radicans” is the same classification as poison ivy (Rhus radicans).
That said, I could not locate any weight loss proof that Trumpet Creeper helps weight loss. When I googled Trumpet Creeper and weight loss, many sites that came up had to do with sites that sell weight-loss pills and that was no help. I then checked the National Library of Medicine and also couldn’t find anything. One problem with my search is that we are not told what extract of Trumpet Creeper is in Hokkaido weight loss pills.
Evening Primrose Extract
This is also called GLA, which stands for gamma-linolenic acid. The lack of evening primrose weight loss research makes me very skeptical. One study from the 1980s found evening primrose oil did not help weight loss.
Because evening primrose oil effects blood clotting, people taking blood thinners should avoid this product. There is also some perplexing cancer research hints that evening primrose oil might either reduce breast cancer growth or speed up breast cancer growth, depending on how much is used. The bottom line, if you have a history of cancer, talk to your doctor first.
The product Abdominal Cuts also has evening primrose oil. See that review for more info.
Evening primrose oil is sometimes used for PMS symptoms –with mixed results. Like Dill, women who may be pregnant should not use evening primrose oil.
It may be very dangerous. If you have my book on supplements see the chapter on evening primrose oil for more on its other uses.
Hokkaido FDA Update
In November 2012, The FDA alerted the public that Japanise Hokkaido Slimming Pills contained the weight loss drug called sibutramine, a weight-loss drug that was removed from the US market in 2010 because it posed significant health risks. Here is what the FDA said in their warning about Hokkaido pills:
“Sibutramine is known to substantially increase blood pressure and/or pulse rate in some patients and may present a significant risk for patients with a history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, or stroke. This product may also interact, in life-threatening ways, with other medications a consumer may be taking.”
This explains the very strange symptoms people have been reporting in the comments.
Lotus
Human weight loss research on lotus cannot be located. I did locate one test-tube study where lotus and L carnitine reduced fat buildup inside fat cells. This is interesting but it’s a study of fat cells in test tubes. You are MUCH more complex than a test tube.
You may recall that lotus is one of the ingredients in Zi Xiu Tang Bee Pollen weight loss supplements.
On one of the websites that sell Hokkaido Pills, they spelled “primrose” wrong and there is broken English. Nobody is perfect but ingredient typos – and broken English on websites make me wonder about who put this website together.
Do Hokkaido Weight Loss Pills work?
Based on the research I can find, I say no, this stuff cannot possibly work – if these are the only ingredients in the pills. If people are losing weight, I am interested in hearing about it. Since I wrote this review, the FDA has confirmed what I thought all along – that Hokkaido slimming pills contained something not listed in the ingredients, a drug called sibutramine. Because of this, Hokkaido weight loss pills cannot be recommended.
What do you think?
Yea Joe many sellers address the differences on real and fakes. They do that to inform and ensure you that you are getting the real product. Its not just one site but a lot that state the same key items to look for and they make sense.
I don’t see people selling fakes proving how there product is real. All they ever say is ” I GUARANTEE they are AUTHENTIC” So all you have is some strangers “word” to go by that could care could less about your health. I went with what made sense and had proof to back it up.
Not just from one site but many sites that also backed up what the anti-counterfeit slip states in each box. I have used the with great results and no side effects. I understand being cautious about harmful products but there are still good people In the world that care about your health. Heck if you ask me our government is more corrupt than foreign companies. But that is a whole other subject in its own.
Researching these pills is not hard. Just GOOGLE phrases such as “fake hokkaido pills” or ” how to spot fake Japan hokkaido diet pills” or” guide to spotting fake japan hokkaido pills”. You will find many different sites with good information.
Lead, the only thing with that is that the fake pill sellers know we search for words like fake, scam ect and so they work those words into their websites and sometimes create posts that “appear” to address these concerns, in order to sell their pills.
@ miss Jordan that is what most will experience in the first few days of taking the pills. Its like flushing out your system. After that everything is back to normal. You will not be hungry as much either you will be eating less. I now have lost 23 lbs in about 15 weeks. Of practically no exercise.
I know eat smaller portions and feel a lot better about my weight……. one thing I did notice is when I eat greasy foods I go to the bathroom within 20 mins or so. But if I eat healthy lighter foods I might not go to the bath room at all.
@ queen the word ” original ” should be printed on the box behind the gold rose sticker.
On the 2nd day of taking these pills I got diarrhea. I own the REAL pills too. Everyday that I took these pills, I got diarrhea. I would not recommend these.
@ lead, omg! i think my friend n i bought d fake ones. d silver sticker has a serial number of 329859. u said d num. should b in 900000-1000000 already. there is also a gold sticker in it but when i removed it to check d original sign inside, d sticker was destroyed.
the bottle is not short but elongated n d gel pack inside doesn’t contain a blue Chinese writing but d sign “do not eat desiccant silica gel throw away” instead.
And the most frightening is when u said that there should be no side effect but 4 me, I’m experiencing insomnia, dry mouth, cold sweat, decreased appetite, headache, palpitations, and pimples on d lower part of my face…i bought it 4 P280…
This product really works but I honestly don’t know if this experience of mine is it’s side effect. The first few days of taking those pills, I started to frequently feel the dizzyness and seeing these black spots for like 5 secs.
whenever I suddenly stand.
I know that is quite normal when you change position so suddenly but it happens to me almost all the time. Do you think it might probably be a side effect of this product? I am not currently taking any medicine or any pill.
joycee, go off the pills for a few days and see if it still happens. if not, then its probably the pills
hi!i just started taking hokkaido..it also has the same side effects of the Brazilian fashion coffee..i also get dry mouth and i am always thirsty.i feel the hunger though,but i dont have the crave to eat..hokkaido’s “secret” ingredient side effects are similar to the well known drug,methamphetamine..
@ Joe I don’t consider myself a seller. But my wife on the other hand sells locally mainly to family and friends. I did not post on here to try and sell her product. I did it to inform everyone on what I have found on months of researching. I hope my post has helped and I like to see what others have to say. I wish I could help everyone by telling them where to go and make purchases but I’m not going to make it harder on my wife to receive her pills then it already is.
Believe me we have purchased from dealers who swore they had the real product and unless you do the research all u will have is that persons word to go by. Which some times we would reieve fakes.
What I can say is Ive seen a lot of different prices for these pills and this is what I think about that. If you purchase in bulk the real pills should cost you about 10- 14 dollars. Retail the pills should sell for about 20-25 dollars.
Lead thats Ill take it that you didn’t mean to. its fine helping others with your insights but I hsd to mention it since its not fair to the others who try market their products here.
Lead, you said you have suppliers… that sounds like you or your wife is a distributor / sells hokkaido pills . is this correct?
I keep the comments free from people who sell supplements because if i dont, everybody will soon be inundated will all sorts of ads for all sorts of products. thats not what I want the comments to be about. If you check the supplements questions page, you’ll see this is the first question I address.
am i correct? do you sell this supplement?
@ Lead, I would like to know where you order them from, the bottle I had, has all the above mentioned, but the packet inside is white with blue writing not a blue Chinese gel pack. My friend has received one large box in wrapping paper but the rest is wrapped in like the sack grocery bags that were brown.
I have no idea why people are saying they have sibutraime in them, cause no one has tested the powder in the pills to prove it. I have even heard of people going to court to prove these pills are safe and don’t contain sibutraime. But not sure if they have proof. I really think everyone that has had problems with the pills they took, were the fake ones… Cause when I was taking them I was fine too…
Hi everyone I would like to start off by saying that my wife has been taking these pills for 2 years now and looks and feels great. she lost over 30 lbs in the first 4 months. After that she was happy with her weight. It takes some time for the weight to come back but when she puts on a few pounds she will take them again. my guess will be one bottle every 3 months. Also I began taking these pills myself.
I just started my 3rd bottle today and am 20 lbs lighter. Anyways I’ve been researching these pills for over a year now and this is some of the information I’ve gotten from websites and my provider from the ph.
1) There are fake and authentic pills. These pills are in high demand and that means you will have counterfeiters taking advantage. They counterfeited the product and are targeting Americans. they even have a fake website japan-hokkaido-pills.com they lure you in with prices like 5 dollars a bottle if you buy bulk and then people end up selling them on ebay.
2) Never heard or seen of sibutraime being in the product. where was this information obtained?
3) Most fake pills will also help you lose weight but have side effects and are harmful. ( A friend of mine was having headaches and sleepless nights taking her pills she bought off ebay. So after checking them I let her know they were fake) these fake pills are flooding the market and its not right.
4) Ok about seeing if they are “REAL” its pretty simple. there is an anti counterfeit slip in each box that clearly states to check the id # ( serial number) on the silver sticker.
It can not reduplicate at all every box should have a different number! so if possible buy more than 1 and compare them. most fake pills have an old repeated id# which usually starts with a 3*****. The real product is now in the 900,000 to over 1,000,000 numbers and climbing. Also check inside the box. the bottle should be short, have a blue Chinese gel pack inside, and the inside of the pill should be a light tan.
4) there is a few different partnership companies that make the real product but they are contracted to sell to distributors and not the general public. They purchase huge orders, break them up and resell to the public.
5) Also the real pills are now being manufactured in boxes with the “gold rose” sticker. there are still a few black sticker boxes on the market left that are also real. The makers change the sticker colors to avoid counterfeiting. the first was blue then black now gold ( which will also change soon). if u remove the gold rose sticker it should have “original” printed behind it.
Hope this have helped. Ive been around these pills a while and I see nothing wrong with them. All I can think of is the people with problems must of been taking fakes.
Oh also heard about the gift wrapping which right away would be a red flag in my eyes. my packages come packaged in solid plastic colors blue or white.
ok, cause everyone is saying sibutraime is in them, but where’s the proof?
Hi,
Im a japan hokkaido slimming pills user for about 6 months now.. I lose 47 pounds already! I asked my doctor before using the pills and she said its okay to use it since the composition of the pills are mostly herbal. Mine are the authentic ones.. I can tell that the fake ones are tan colored (which is on the video link above) and the authentic ones are pink.
Hope this helps.
Hello, I’ve been taking these pills for months and they work wonders for appetite suppressant and work as a cleanser. I got hurt back in March and had to stop working out.
I started taking these to maintain my body weight. If you are looking to lose minimal weight they will help minimal. The more weight you have to lose the more results you’ll see, how ever if you are trying to lose 5-10lbs I suggest you change your diet, take the pink pills and add a work out.
Also they do not give you the energy but they do make you thirsty!
Hi Glow
My sister was actually taking these pills last year and they did make her lose a lot of weight fast!!!!BUT a few months later she fainted and when we took her t the doctor they said she had high blood pressure and all sorts of new illnesses .. before my sister was healthy, she hardly ever got sick now shes all weak! its up to you if u wanna keep taking them but I don’t recommend it! don’t say u weren’t warned.
It seems everyone is saying bad things about these pills, but no one has said they had the Hokkaido Slimming Pills tested or done a urine test to see if the sibrutramine ( not sure if I spelled that right) showed up in their urine, or if its in the fake ones or if its in the real ones. (Or did I miss that post)
Lyn, Im not aware of any proof the have / had Sibutramine. If I find any proof yes or no on this I’ll update this review
hi joe!
i’m kim from the philippines. it was allover the news early june, BFAD has ordered confiscation of these slimming pills (hokkaido is one of them) and slimming coffee/beverages from china, because research and testing showed these products positive with METHAMPHETAMINE.
here’s a video of one of the local news programs here.. take time to watch for those who can understand filipino. hope this helps!
just click play on the video..
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/lifestyle/06/09/12/pampa-pills-helpful-or-harmful
kim thanks. I wish i understood it. the video looked interesting.
Desiree where did you purchase the pills. or can anyone tell me where they purchased their pills from. obviously the REAL ones
Please stop taking these pills!!! they are bad!!! I got menstrual bleeding for like 3 weeks..shortness of breath, and a high uric acid. I had never experienced this before…and with only one bottle…I got all these side effects..oh and lets not forget the palpitations!!!!
Thanks for this wonderful review, Joe!
I am Desiree and I am from the Philippines. I took 2 bottles of Hokkaido Pills last February 2011 until I fully consumed everything. Surprisingly, I lost almost 30-40 lbs. Everyone in our office noticed that I was really losing a lot of weight. My tummy was really flat, thighs and arms were no longer flabby, and I can already were fitting clothes. Given those positive changes, I also experienced side effects: Insomnia, dry mouth, cold sweat, oily stools, decreased appetite, headache, palpitation (this was the most alarming), and pimples on my face which I didn’t like at all!
After finishing the 2 bottles, I stopped. One of my friends used Jap Hok as well and surprisingly, she told me that she experienced almost the same thing when she tried illegal drugs before. There was this feeling of “state of high” according to her. That caught my attention so I told her to stop.
Unfortunately, I am having “diet pills rebound effect” now. I didn’t notice that after few months of not taking the pills, my size went double which is frustrating. I am now into sports and healthy eating so hopefully I would get back into shape.
I am a Registered Nurse and I know that taking this Jap Hok pills is very alarming given all the testimonials from the people above. Kidney, liver and heart problems might arise when you reach a certain age.