Herbalife was founded by Mark Hughes back in 1980. Two years later, Herbalife had gone international. By 1996, Herbalife had reached $1 Billion in annual sales, and continues to grow today. With over 3,500 employees, and over 240,000 qualified distributors worldwide, you can say that Herbalife is a legit company.

Herbalife is well-known for their health and wellness products, such as nutritional supplements and weight management products. However, Mark Hughes wanted a specific product, which would not adversely affect your health, but help reduce your weight. Main products of Herbalife are Formula #1, which is a meal replacement, consisting of a rich protein drink. Another product, Formula #2, is an herbal tablet. And Formula #3, is a mineral or multivitamin. Thermojetics is a system of controlling your weight by consuming herbal tablets. Initially, Herbalife marketed its products as Herbalife's Slim and Trim Program, but now it is Herbalife Cellular Nutrition Health and Weight Management System.

Things took a negative turn, however. The FDA sent a notice against Herbalife for product mis-branding. The FDA claims that most Herbalife products are effective for treating tumors, diseases, increasing circulation and mental alertness, but NOT reduction in weight. Also, the FDA received many complaints against the Herbalife products due to numerous side effects such as diarrhea, constipation, nausea, headache, lightheadedness, and palpitations. On examining the Herbalife products, the FDA found potent laxatives and high caffeine content in them.

Such negative publicity brought a sharp fall in sales and income figures for Herbalife. However, the company survived because of its foreign sales. Herbalife turned back around, and is now a publicly traded company.

Even though Herbalife had some downfalls, I would not say that it's a scam. As with any business, you are going to run into problems along the way. It's just deciding on which business you want your name associated with.

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