Herbalife: What's The Deal?

Hi. I'm 13 and I've been doing herbalife shakes for a month and i went from a size 7 to a size 5 and now weigh 114 lbs. Herbalife is great and I encourage anyone to try it. All you have to do to get it is order it from one of your local herbalife providers...it's not hard people!

The reason Herbalife is not in mainstream retail stores is to give everyone an opportunity to have thier own home business. The start up costs are nothing and the potential for income is amazing. I think the Herbalife owners have great big hearts. The products help people and the business opportunity does too!

I dont know... If I had to wager, I'd say those top two comments were HL distributors themselves. They seem a bit too eager to promote it.

But anyway, as much as I dislike the marketing practices of the company (Garbage "WORK FROM HOME" signs everywhere, vague sales pitches, a cult-esque following, etc.) the products are pretty good. An "associate" of mine works for the company and brings me stuff to try. I'm a vitamin nut anyway, and these seem to be full of pretty good stuff. It's not necessarily a bargain, by any means, but there are a good variety of vitamins, and the ShapeWorks shakes don't taste too vile (at least the vanilla). I even dropped a few pounds myself...

Just stay away from the "Roasted Soy Nuts" with Potassium Chloride (a salt substitute)... Way, way gross...

(To be clear, I am an Herbalife Distributor)

Thanks for the comments--let me help with a few questions.
- RE: Efficacy: For one, testing helps. Note who's on Herbalife scientific and medical advisory boards (herbalife.com, our company, scientific commitment)

For another, how do you know McDonald's tastes good (does it??) or Wal-Mart prices are actually low "every day" or that Gatorate actually increases an athelete's performance or that Milk does a body good? All you do is see their commercials--those people are paid actors to promote those products. The only way you'll BELIEVE the ads (I hope) is that you try them out for yourself and see.

But, here's a note: Every distributor I have ever seen get to the leadership levels in Herbalife actually has some verifiable, undeniable, documented physical change to their bodies that they attribute only to Herbalife. weight loss, weight gain, energy, vitality, emotional health, skin care, etc--do McDonald's exec's only eat at McDonalds, and then tell you they're actually healthy? Do you think McDonald's Executives feed McDonalds to their own kids?? I highly, strongly doubt it!!!!

- RE: Ingredients: They used to be on the public website, but competitors were trying to duplicate our products. You can still get them easilly. Any Herbalife distributor has access to them via the Distributor's Intranet. Plus, they're on every can/bottle of product as well, thanks to the FDA's laws reguarding such. Further, calling Herbalife directly in Los Angeles will get anyone access to ingredients, etc. If you need to know, you can easilly get it.

- Re: Deceit--Remember that 99.99999% of the people who are working with Herbalife have never professionally owned their own business or sold professionally. Plus, the name Herbalife has (though, this is changing) less than the most-positive image. So, for most people, it's easier to talk about the 'star of the show', the products.

Everyone has biases. Watch this--if I say "McDonalds", you think something--positive or negative, I don't know. Here's another one: "Wal-Mart" or "Car salesman" or "blue cheese dressing". The point is, I can't control your opinion--and if I am promoting something, I don't want to possibly lose your attention. However, if you say you're serious about losing weight, and I say to you, "Using these products, I lost 126 pounds in 12 months and have kept it off for 3 full years", you're going to be listening. (That is my real product-result on Herbalife, by the way)

Bottom-line: It may not be "right" (that's also your opinion, something I can't control), but it's easier and more comfortable for new distributors sometimes. FWIW, I always say "Herbalife" within the first 3 minutes of a conversation no matter if I am retailing or recruiting--my whole team does it this way.

-- RE: Ethical Consistency: The company has to maintain one of the highest levels of ethical consistency. They're traded on the NYSE, the strictest marketplace in the world (symbol "HLF"). But for the distributors, independent as they are, there are a few controls in place. First, every state/country's tax-laws for 1099, independent workers. Remember 50% of the USA's Gross National Product is made up of small businesses, less than 50 employees. The IRS is NOT STUPID when it comes to watching 1099 businesses like a HAWK--especially those affiliated with MLM companies. They will take you to TOWN if there is anything wrong. No doubt about it. I know my taxes have been heavilly scrutinized.

Next, Herbalife is a member of the Direct Selling Association, an industry-run consortium of groups working hard to keep the stupid people out so we can get over the "Amway-ism" that stigmatized network marketing and actually be able to run straightforward businesses. The code of conduct of the DSA is stricter than the US Government would ever dare to be.

Next, Herbalife itself--they will not allow the Golden Goose to be killed because of some stupid--even a thousand stupid distributors. A distributor who's being "bad" will get a call from Herbalife's legal department probably before anyone else ever contacts them. Also, all their sponsorship line will be liable both for the person's conduct (the company may punish the upline for improper training) and in terms of the damage to their royalty income if that person and their whole organization is booted out of the company for violation of the rules of distributorship. If the legal scare doesn't work, taking away cash does!

Finally, let me mention that independent Herbalife distributors are really simply micro-franchises. They operate independently from the company, but must adhere to certain corporate policies, etc.

This is no different than McDonald's, Wendy's, Pepsi, Coke, IHOP, Dennys, TGI Fridays, Outback Steakhouse, Hampton Inn, Residence Inn, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, etc, etc, franchises, except the barrier to entry is miniscule in comparison to these big franchises.

The point is, if your argument is correct, how can any of these companies possibly stay "ethically consistent" with all these rogue franchises running around!? Of course, they can and do, with legal and financial controls strongly in-place. It's a proven business model that's smart for the home office, and exceptionally more profitable for the franchiser/distributor. Win/Win.

Besides, 45 Million success stories over 25 years without any verifiable evidence of side-effects? Regular people actually earning green, spendable money? Hey, it's not for everyone. I didn't think it was for me, either. But, you've GOT to start wondering if that Mark Hughes guy really did stumble on to something great.

Take care!

i am a former herbalife distributor..i am no longer active in the business...but i do love the products. there are thousands of people in the us that love the products...but are not distributors.

the reason for their success...is the reason they are not in stores. the personal assistance you get from dealing one on one with a distributor.

Hi I’m also another current independent Herbalife distributor.

First of all Herbalife get you to sample the products, I did and within 2 weeks I had lost almost an inch off my waist!!!!! (This result was down to the fact that I was going to the gym 5 times a week - so of course that counted in my favour!!)

I have now been using the products for 1 month and have had an incredible increase in my energy levels and gained much more confidence, due to my overall well-being. I have just started to use Herbalife's outer nutrition products too, called Nourifusion, these are also great and have improved my skin beyond belief.

This new found confidence and general well-being rubs off on many people I meet, this is also a great way to sell my products, it has also helped with my success with the ladies too!! Hardly a bad thing!!

Also if you visit my Herbalife site I give you a free online body fat analysis, I also PERSONALLY follow up ALL of my customers, this is to make sure they stay on the right track and answer any questions they may have.

Hi,

My name is Laurent and i'm a French Distributor Herbalife. I would like to say that's much important thing is to help people who want lost weight, that's all.

If Herbalife products works so i use it. My english is Poor but i wanted to say my one aim is helping people and i'm very happy work at home to help people.

If you find anothers products that work better than products Herbalife and that help people send me it !

The most important thing for me is to help people who want lost weight !

Have nice day

Laurent Perriet

THE TRUSTEES OF THE MARK HUGHES ESTATE EMBROIL HEIR’S MOTHER IN VICIOUS LEGAL BATTLE

………By, Edgar Bennett

Alex Hughes is the richest child in America. As the sole heir to Mark Hughes Estate, left by his father, Herbalife Icon Mark Hughes, 13 year old Alex Hughes will be the sole beneficiary of an estate valued at half a billion dollars by the time he turns 18. That is, as stated in the Los Angeles Times, “If the money is still there”. This statement is one major reason Alex’s mother, Suzan Hughes, has been suing the Trustees of Alex’s estate. Court documents show that since Mark Hughes death in 2001 Alex hasn’t received a single penny from his inheritance. However, the Trustees have paid over $4 million to themselves and over $11 million to their attorneys and accountants, largely to pay for their litigation against Alex’s mother, Suzan Hughes. A source reveals “Suzan has been forced into litigation to protect her son’s money. It is outrageous for the Trustees to spend over $15 million of Alex’s inheritance and hire 15 to 20 law firms to try and bury Alex and his mother so they can continue to self deal with no one authorized to watch over them. It is ironic that they are spending Alex’s money to keep him away from his own money.”

The character of the Trustees has also come into question. As reported in the Los Angeles Times in December of 2000, Trustee Chris Pair was convicted of shoplifting from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills and ordered psychiatric treatment. A source close to Herbalife says “The Trustees of the Mark Hughes Estate, Conrad Klein, Chris Pair and Jack Reynolds are all unsavory characters. Chris Pair has been charged with sexual harassment numerous times in addition to his shoplifting fiasco. Jack Reynolds was charged with a 647a, lewd sexual conduct with a minor in Long Beach. Conrad Klein used to roam the offices declaring that he was Mark Hughes.” When Klein was forced out of his cush job the source says he made it clear that he intended on crushing Suzan Hughes. “We were appalled at his blatant and irrational display of vengeance.”

As revenge for Suzan Hughes’ suit to remove the Trustees, they filed a suit to remove her as Guardian. Trustee Jack Reynolds filed the petition based on his status as Alex’s grandfather. However, an article in the Los Angeles Times Magazine in 2001 states that according to Mark Hughes birth certificate, Hughes was born to Stuard Hartman, not Reynolds. “Jack Reynolds came in to Mark Hughes life when Mark struck it rich.” Says a source, “Have you ever heard the story of a guy who made millions and had relatives coming out of the woodwork?”

Court documents show that Suzan petitioned to remove Jack Reynolds recently after it was revealed in a trial that as custodian Reynolds co mingled the custodian assets. Documents also reveal that Reynolds along with Pair and Klein have been found guilty of Gross Negligence, vindication that Suzan Hughes suit against the 3 Trustees was justified. Legal analyst Daniel Rosenblum says, 'Gross negligence' refers to negligent acts, which are aggravated, reckless or flagrant and which are such a departure from what would be the conduct of an ordinarily prudent, careful person under the same circumstances as to be contrary to a proper regard for danger to human life or to constitute indifference to the consequences of those acts. This term is usually associated with Manslaughter. Being found “Grossly Negligent” should be grounds for immediate removal as a Trustee.” Court documents show that the Trustees even petitioned the Judge to reconsider the fine for the gross negligence, but she still affirmed it.

As the rounds of legal fire continue the battle was summed up by a former Herablife employee “I read a recent article where an attorney for the Trustees equated this to the legal version of World War 3. World War 3, being fought by the Trustees with a budget of $400 million, against a single mom and her 13 year old son.” The source ads “That would be like Saddam Hussein paying us to invade his country but he would remove his people first and leave a single mom and her child to fight our armed forces. The fact that Suzan has withstood these attacks proves that she has plenty of ground to stand on. Otherwise they would have already won the war.”

I'm a portuguese distributor and i use herbalife products for 5 years. i started the bussines 3 months ago along with my girlfriend that is also using the products, and since then i've been shown a lot of other companies like forever living and others claiming that they are better and herbalife sucks...a really don't know what to think in this moment...i really love the products but i'm starting to have questions...(sorry about my english)

I entered the bisness with all guns a blazzing only to get burnt with a petnetous coach and a big visa bill. I do enjoy the products although, that assosiate with me. I am stuck with a large invintory that I will never use due to those looking for the cheeper solution. If anyone would like cheep product.please email me.

Here's my take on your questions:

1.How can one determine a products efficacy if most of it's customers (and/or testimonials) are also vendors?

Frankly, if the products were crap, the vendors (i.e. customers) would stop using it too. They have to be at least good enough to have kept the purchasing all these years.

2. If a product is as helpful and revolutionary as the sales copy states, why is it not sold through mainstream retailers in order to help as many people as possible?

The MLM model is designed to build wealth for participants, consequently this question is moot. It's similar to those who are profitable as day traders constantly being asked why they sell information about the subject, if they are so successful? Why not just retire rich? Silly. We all have to make a living and trade goods for services. MLM is simply a business model, and a very successful one at that.

3. Why the deceit? People have been approached by distributors who will not mention the word "Herbalife" up front.

That was the model created by the granddaddy of all MLM companies, and now I can't think of it's name! LOL. Oh, yeah, Amway! They didn't mention the company name because no one would have come to listen to a pitch. Their business plan originally was based on deceit, that is, they'd tell you they were going to show you something or whatever and then suddenly you're stuck listening to an Amway pitch. It did turn lots of people off, so I believe they stopped the practice for the most part, but I could be mistaken.

4. Why is there no nutrition information for any of the products published on their site?

Herbal supplements don't have specific nutritional info posted anywhere because it's impossible to qualify and quantify. One crop is different than another.

5. How can any MLM company maintain ethical consistency when employing so many "independent" distributors? It is clear that some of these distributors employ dubious tactics to gather potential recruits.

Sure, but that's true in any business.

I'm a fan of the MLM business model, although I'm not a distributor of any companies presently. Generally the products are quality, and the pricing is a bit high, until you have other distributors also using the products which means yours can be free, etc. Just thought I'd reply to your comments.

I knew someone 25 years ago who sold Herbalife. She was sickly looking but healthy, and skinny as a rail so selling a weight loss product didn't make much sense, but hey, the company is still around so they must be doing something right.

Personally, I buy herbs in bulk and make my own supplement blends, but I enjoy that kind of thing. ;-)

Hi all,

Quite simply put, you are right on many aspects. I'll speculate on MLM like most who enter that business model. MONEY Talks! But legitimacy of the company I think has dramatically improved since the current CEO has taken office. He has provided a great degree of focus towards legitimate business practices. These practices like mainstream advertising and celebrity sponsorship, has help drive sales tremendously. This is probably why just this year is becoming a record breaker. It is a great time for an Herbalifer!

Im a distributor but only just to use the products myself and to retail on my website. The struggle to attain financial success in any MLM is hard for many people to grasp including myself. It takes a very driven person to do this. I know someone wo is involved with Advocare who has dedicated his life to it and he has really changed as a person.

Luckily Im not really hurting for money. As far as herbalife products go Ive done very well with them. I weighed 218lbs in March of 04 and in 3 months I weighed 187 and still do. I love the shapeworks shakes. However the price for the protein powder for how much you get is disapointing. I also enjoy there NRG tea and take the multi-vitamin and have had almost no colds in 2 years. I believe herbalife's biggest problem and always will is in the branding. Just think of the name herbalife and people want to run like hell. Plus they think all they sell is herbal stuff which is totally untrue. They need to continue with sub branding like they are doing with shapeworks, niteworks, etc. It will be a long uphill battle for sure but they are a big company with some serious big hitters on the medical advisory board. I think they are doing pretty well.

Hello. I'm an HERBALIFE distributor and i'm very proud about this.HERBALIFE delivers the most incredible products for well-being and also has the BIGGEST BUSINES S OPPORTUNITY.I'm doing HERBALIFE in Greece and i have many satisfied customers who really love the products.If someone thinks that HERBALIFE is not working or the products are harmful, ok!!! As MARK used to say.... NO PROBLEM!!! Nick salutes all the distributors around the world!!! Let's change the world's nutritional habits!!!Yeah!!

I too am a Herbalife independent distributor.

I've been with the company now for approx. 3 months and love the products. So far I have lost 20 lbs and am feeling better than I have in years! (I would have been more but for the fact that I am not sticking strictly with the program, but the great thing is that any pounds that I have regained I have lost again once I get back on the program.)

As for not mentioning Herbalife in any of the sites for the business opportunity, as was mentioned in earlier emails Herbalife itself has set rules about what a distributor can and can not mention. The rules explain that Herbalife, Herbalife International, Herbalife Canada and probably every other Herbalife reference around the world (I only sell products in Canada and the States) are trademarks of the company and can not be used without explicit authorisation from the company. The only Herbalife quote that a distributor is allowed to use is Herbalife Independent Distributor with the person's phone number or email address. So based on their rules we can't say "Come and join Herbalife!" in any advertising Which I believe is why people find the whole business opp advertising so shady because we aren't allowed to mention the company's name. Herbalife says that they are protecting their good name by doing this, probably since they can't monitor every distributor and their advertising.

I do know that if someone finds a distributor that is not doing business ethically, Herbalife can be contacted and depending on the offense and the amount of time the distributor has been with the company, they will either be terminated as a distributor or given a very stern warning to cease. If they contine they will be terminated. So, if anyone out there has a bad interaction with a Herbalife distributor, by all means, contact Herbalife and let them know. They don't want unethical people on their team, it gives all of us a bad name and makes selling the products and the business opportunity that much harder.

As for the Mark Hughes trustee fiasco, would it not have been Mark himself that set this up for his estate rather than the company itself? Just because they are acting like asses now doesn't mean that before he passed away he didn't see them as fit to do the job. Let's face it where a large amount of money is concerned people sometimes show a different side to themselves than they may have prior to the situation. There are lots of instances where heirs start taking each other to court after the person has passed away. Who's the slimspa blonde who took her husband's family to court. People get greedy. I see this as a Hughes family problem and really nothing to do with Herbalife.

I love the nite work and works fantastically for my husband. he no longer snors at night and sleeps so well
I love the products
www.herbalfusion.net

Herbalife sounds like a great business. But I notice there seems to be a lot of negative information about it on the internet. Could you please respond to some of the following objections?
1 I know that most people are lazy and will not work the business, but for many who do work consistently and invest in the needed tools, they barely make enough to cover their expenses. Is this true?

2 It appears that only supervisors are encouraged to sponsor while others are encouraged to retail. But if you don't sponsor, in reality, you won't make any real money. So I can't understand why the lower level distributors are not required to sponsor. I am sure that one reason is because that if they are not supervisors there volume goes to the next up line supervisor. This seems like a flaw to me. Am I missing something?

3 The focus now days seem to be to use the expensive lead programs. Of course you will also run a few news paper ads, put up poster etc. But the primary focus is the lead program. From the little information that I have gather so far, I get the impression that no one really moves from distributor to supervisor just by using these lead program. Am I wrong? Although about 1 out of 20 lead will buy, can I really move from distributor to supervisor by using the lead program?

4 The products must be very good otherwise the company would not have been in business for as long as they have. However the products are extremely expensive. I understand because of this most of the volume being produce is by distributors and not by customers. Even when distributors leave the business they stop using the products because they are too expensive. Honestly, how difficult is it to maintain a loyal customer base once you have it established?

5 Herbalife is accused of being a front load type of business. From what I understand this may be true. It takes knowledge and skill to build a business. But supervisors are encourage to convince others to spend about $4000 to sign up as supervisor
These new recruits have no knowledge or skill about building the business, as a result they are stuck with a huge inventory that many end up selling on eBay and they don't have the down line in place yet in order to maintain the supervisor level so they lose their investment. Is this the case or am I looking at it wrong. I would feel really bad convincing someone to invest that much money knowing in my heart that they don't have the knowledge, skill or down line in place to maintain that level. Honestly, how difficult will it be for a new supervisor recruit who has just signed up to move his inventory and maintain that level.
I ask these questions not to be cynical, but I ask these questions because I am dead broke and I am desperately considering herbalife as a means of escape. So if you can answer the above questions or point me to some resources that can, I will be ever so grateful to you. Thanks a lot.

Hello. I'm an HERBALIFE distributor and i'm very proud about this.HERBALIFE delivers the most incredible products for well-being and also has the BIGGEST BUSINES S OPPORTUNITY.effort and time for the same income what i make in herbal life else where i should have spent more efforts and hours I'm doing HERBALIFE in INDIA and i have few satisfied customers who order me month after month the products. use the products they are tasty also.

dhin

Herbalife is bullshit!, the only reason why people on Herbalife loose weight is because they diet according to the herbalife information. The only medication which handles over-weight is Xenical and in a lesser effect Sibutramine (Which is a chemical substance giving you the fealing that you have eaten). Both need to be prescribed by a doctor.

Herbalife cannot be sold by pharamcy shops in Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. Why? because if you want to sell something in a pharamacy over there, it needs to be tested and do what it is supposed to do. The one single reason why people are devoted to Herbalife so much is that they are motivated by the chance to earn a lot of money.

The reason why MLM stuff like Tupperware and Herbalife keeps on growing is simple, people like money!.

herbalife sucks,,,they rook u in then they get your money and leave u hanging with all these pricy products that u can't sell. Then they are like sorry??//
F them

lol, i think that there has been some people who think that they were going to get rich quick so brought products. There is a simple truth-HERBALIFE PRODUCTS WORK. The products cant be sold in shops anyway, that would go against how mark hughes wanted the company run. In fact, your distributorship can be taken away if you are found to be selling any products in shops and also on ebay. I find it really interesting reading posts, people come on and write so much negativity and i find it such a waste of time. If you dont want to have herbalife's products-dont. If you do-great. ATTENTION ALL DISTRIBUTORS-there will always be problems with customers and prospects in any business-dose EVERYONE like BMW? And the cost issue, if i were to offer you a ferrari for £1,000, im sure ude buy it. FERRARI=GREAT QUALITY CAR, HERBALIFE=GREAT QUALITY PRODUCTS

Im sure there will be negativity replied to my post but heyho, people are a little strange.

Cya

Is anyone aware of where the products are being produced...We were just told they are no longer being cold-pressed anymore? Any truth to this? And that they are no longer as great a quality? As say before they went public and after Mark passed?
I would greatly appreciate any input...
Lynn

Hi Leroy Anderson,

Should you be intereested and want to get the facts on how to get started and be successful without buying large amounts of stock etc.

I have never front loaded or been front loaded and thats a bad practice as Herbalife will dropship direct to your clients and yourself, so why would you buy in at supervisor?

Anyway you may contact me on prosperity@ihug.com.au

I trust no-one here to abuse this posting of my email address. I am not here to convince anyone, but if someone wants to join with just the basic distributor kit and be helped along the way, I am happy to offer help. I know this is not for everyone.

Have a wonderful day

Bill

Not alone the "monopoly" that Herbalife is creating around the world, but also the horrible effects that it's products have on people just like you and me. My sister, she was attracted by the "weight loss" that the (NOt APPROVED by the FDA) products can offer. It did not take more than a week and my sister was close to get a stroke for drinking the shakes and tea following the "correct" dosage recomended by the seller. She was hospitalized and real doctors that actually know about nutrition told her to STOP consuming the life-threatning products that the great HERBALIFE has to offer. I'm thankful she went to the doctor and not to the guy that sells her the products, otherwise who knows if my sister will be still alive. This could sound a bit dramatic and hyperbolic, but i am saying the truth. This network of sellers is not helping anybody but the owners of the company. Yes Yes, i've heard of people reducing sizes, losing thousands of pounds, but i ask you... at what cost?
Is it more important to lose weight and be at a higher risk of death, or living? Our vane attempts to lose weight and reach that perfect shape everybody is desperately seeking, takes more than simple shakes and pills. it takes a good diet and exercising. For those of you who are currently taking any products to lose weight FAST, it wouldn't hurt to go and get checked by a real doctor, before it's too late...

I beleive in these products Herbalife is a wonderful product. It helped my elderly mother lose the pounds she needed to lose. It also helped with her blood pressure and sugar. She has had much more energy since she has been on the program.Find your own personal weightloss coach today.You will not regret it.

Why get answers from anyone while you can get it yourself? There are 3 groups of people in the subject money. 1. Herbalife the company. 2. Individual distributors. 3. Comsumers.
At first look, it is more complicated than 2 groups. Since in a 2 group system, if you know one group earn $1, the other will pay $1. You only need to know either the "earn" or the "pay". But you don't need know both. For our discussion, the "individual distributor group" is unknown in "earn" or "pay", yet it is what you want to know the most.
What are known:
* Herbalife company earnings, quarterly or annually (public company of revenue, profit).
* Distributor payout rule. It is strictly enforced for the one million or more people in a sound structure.
* FTC requirement of 20% revenue sale to end users for Herbalife to be a legal company.
Using these known factors in a spreadsheet, you can calculate the incomes of different levels of the distributors.
Here is my results:
Level 1: -$100/month, population 830,000
Level 2: +$40/month, population 138,333
Level 3: +$850/month, population 26,774
Level 4: +$4,500/month, population 5,321
Level 5: +$22,000/month, population 1,063
Level 6: +$110,000/month, population 212
Also, you can use common senses to verify your results.
* 20% of FTC had reported trouble before (less than 20% now ?). But just use 20% for calculation.
* The average income of the million people is $0. Imagine $1/year income will take $1 million profit off the company Herbalife's. Distributor payout is $250 million a month. But they also spend more than that to buy products.
* Level 2 people are the hardest working group since they are dealing with level 1's dropping out with negative income. (my opinion)
* To get to level 4, you need about 800 people working for you. The trick is to recruit 1000 in 3 months time. By the time some drop out, you will be sitting in a stable position, can quit your day job with comfortable life. (my opinion)

Looking at the comments mentioned about Herbalife I notice the positive feedback on their products has been provided by users and vendors alike, but what studies have been compiled on these products and the safety of their use?

After checking out the history of the company I found that previously before 1998 they used to use dangerous ingredients such as Ma Huang in most of their products (a herb containing ephedrine) which has been banned by the FDA.

More recently there has been a new product named Niteworks created by Dr Louis Ignarro, who received an award for this product and recommends it's use, but he receives a nice percentage from it's sales, which makes his recommendation bogus due to him benifitting from its sales. Also a Pharmacologist who also worked on the development of this product doesn't share his views and to quote from an independent website: http://www.mlmwatch.org/04C/Herbalife/niteworks.html

Pharmacologist Robert Furchgott, Ph.D., who also shared the 1998 Nobel Prize with Ignarro said that Ignarro's claims of effectiveness are improperly founded. "They jumped the gun,'' he said." I haven't seen any properly controlled studies. It just seems to me a mouse model isn't transferable to humans.'' He also said, "I think with the sort of money they're raking in, they could have done some human studies."

The article points out that the studies conducted on this product were tested on mice. Therefore, can these studies be automatically carried across to humans? We now test beauty products on animals and humans as some of those earlier tests only on animals have proved to be ineffective and cannot carry across to humans. Shouldn't these rules also apply here? I believe I am a human being and personally I do not feel content to know that the tests completed have only been based on animals. Further it is very difficult to identify what the content of the products actually are, so how can one be sure that the products are safe. After consulting my physician I was advised to avoid taking these supplements as there have been few in any independent studies carried out on these types of products.
Please speak to your own physician to check if these products are safe for you as some products prior to 1998 caused dangerous side effects.

Tom wrote: ...but what studies have been compiled on these products and the safety of their use?

Herbalife established a research lab (The Mark Hughes Cellular & Molecular Nutrition Laboratory) at the Center for Human Nutrition at *UCLA*. Named after Herbalife's founder, the lab conducts research to advance the fields of herbal and nutritional science.

I have been doing Herbalife for almost 7 years now. The products are just amazing and I have helped so many people get great results. Personally, I detoxed, improved my skin complexion, lost bodyfat and gained some muscle in the right places. I also had more energy to work out and became very sharp and mentally alert. My herbalife business is amazing and spans through several countries now from US, UK to India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

Yes, to be a Supervisor, there is some inventory to begin with. However, we do not ask anyone of this until they have been on the products, have a good product testimonial and sincerely believe in the products for themselves. Otherwise, they will not be able to move the products. The key to this business is your own personal testimonial of the product and sharing it with the world. People get on the products and do the business out of inspiration. This is not a get rich quick scheme.

Herbalife products in their 26 year history has never killed anyone ever. If the products were truly horrible, the company would have been shut down by now. Seriously !!! In fact, people have died from drugs prescribed by "real doctors" either via an overdose or via wrong prescription. There have also been some dangerous drugs approved by the FDA which were eventually taken off the market after the damage had been done and considerable people had died. A classic example is the drug Vioxx manufactured by Merck. Merck maybe facing a class action lawsuit and they are not alone. This is now a growing trend.

For more information on this case and more, take a look at the website, http://www.mercola.com. This site is also created by a "real doctor" that warns about the dangers of prescription medication and why herbal alternatives are more safer and healthier. You definitely do not want to get on any prescription medication to lose weight. People have died of an overdose. Having said that, doctors do play an important role yet we cannot afford to be over-reliant on them.

Lastly, Herbalife does not hold a monopoly in health, nutrition and herbal products. There are many health and nutritional products available today from many sources to meet the growing worldwide demand of herbal supplements. The consumers do have a lot of choices. Apart from the herbalife products, I also love and personally use health supplements from other sources.

After doing some research on herbalife niteworks I am more confused than when I started especially at its price! How can a product that is about 80% vitamin C and E with small amounts of amino acids ( all cheap and relatively easy to produce) cost so much - $90 a month.
This price is even more crazy if you think that there have been no human trials, and no body really understands exactly how the nitric oxide biosynthetic pathway works in the body. Anybody thinking of taking this product should consider that the long term effects are not known!

I love Herbalife, I've been using the products for two years now. I lost 30 kilos in 6 months and i became Herbalife distributor because of that. You can always find people who are unsatisfied with their expirience with Herbalife, moast of them because they cheat on program and they are too frustrated to admit, the rest were not introduced to the program corectly. What is in products? Who cares - scientific advisory board is the best on entire world, product are checked by helth dep. in 62 states arround the world and most important they WORK. Price? Depends with what you are comparing. ''Healty'' food in convinient store is much more expencive. And Michaela I have a friend who is already living longer than doctors said he would thanks to Niteworks.
I belive there are some errors in my English and I apologize for that.

If you are interested in learning more about Herbalife, please also visit our blog dedicated to Herbalife. Includes coverage of corporate new, sporting involvement and charitable initiatives.

Herbalife Blog

The problem with Herbalife is not their products or distribution methods. It's high-level corporate management, plain and simple. The backstabbing, hostel work environment and incompetancy at the senior VP level and above is out of control. For example, there's a new hire working in product marketing, who came from a hot-tub manufacturer. No weight-loss or nutritional experience whatsoever. Her incompetancy has made life a living hell for the much more experienced, qualified people who have successfully launched many of Herbalife's great products well before she arrived. And she's a senior VP!! Her boss is even more of an idiot. There's constant infighting and serious moral problems within management. The people running the company these days are much more concerned with their stock price than focusing on creating and marketing valuable products. Upper level management have made literally hundreds of millions of dollars on the stock they recieved during the recent restructure. They've lost focus on why the company was started in the first place. Mark Hughes must be rolling over in his grave.

Do they disclose the place of production and source of raw materials? I wanted to validate if the cold-pressed processing has been discontinued. Thanks

Responding to Bob Smith (above)

I wouldn't agree with your comments, it is not possible for management to "walk away" with hundreds of million right after an IPO, though the stock has performed very well since the IPO.

Not knowing which VP you are referring to, I will say that if you've been around the company for 5 years or more, you'll know that there has been an incredible shift in direction starting about 3 years ago, this shift has been very positive and has presented a lot of opportunities to Distributors.

Tools and resources now available for Distributors are the best that the company has ever had to offer, and the growth rate continues to increase. We're not looking at $2 billion in annual sales any more, it is 3, 4, 5 and beyond - it will happen, and very quickly.

www.bloghlf.com

Reply for Lynn Lassiter

Herbalife's products are primarily produced in the USA, however Herbalife is in the process of investing heavily in a manufacturing facility in China.

While the company did set up in China in 2005, it is important for the company to demonstrate a long term commitment to China, accordingly new manuafacturing is being developed there.

Not sure what that means to US or international supply at this stage, however it is expected that this facility will supply up to 40 countries.

http://www.bloghlf.com/archives/48

Freesia Day (above) mentions that Niteworks helped her husbankd with snoring. Interestingly enough, while this was never an intended benefit of the product, reductions in snoring have been among the noted benefits that Niteworks customers have received.

Hi there,

I just talked with a HBL last night and if the second poster thinks that nearly 900GBP is nothing then they must earn an awful lot this was the price including the IBP to get in at the lowest level.It was the 3rd call before the product name was mentioned and you know i'm not saying that dodgy practices are involved but the whole convo is geared towards selling the dealership.It kinda went downhill fast when I said that being an honest and ethical person I would need to prove to myself that the products did exactly what they are meant to do at this point i was told that after listening to what i was saying very carefully then maybe it wasn't the right time for me to join.It's a shame i was really looking forward to my own business

To be a Herbalife client you firstly recieve an evaluation on our current diet and lifestle FREE
Then it is the costs of a programme for two meals a day, average programme I use is £3.00 a day for 2 meals.

To be a distributor 1st level you invest £75.00 which includes 1 month vitality programme worth £68.00 and £7.00 postage and packaging. this is on the websie www.herbalife.com

Effectivly the licence is FREE you cannot have a licence unless you use the products, or your advice as a non user yourself is useless.

For this you get 25% discount. You can earn up to 50% discount as a supervisor.
Anyone can sponsor new clients and distributors, when you sponsor successfully you become a supervisor, which is why only supervisors sponsor!!! Its chicken and egg not that you are NOT Allowed

I am a Herbalife Distributor who both uses and sells the products in Australia.

For a company so be so successful and to last so long, the products have to be effective - no one survives with second rate products.

My advice to those considering becoming a distributor is that this is NOT a get rich scheme - it does take hard work and dedication, but the rewards are there.