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There are over 13 types of hoodia pills. The only active ingredient identified so far is a steroidal glycoside that has been called "p57". Currently, only hoodia pills is thought to contain p57.

What is the History of Hoodia pills ?

In 1937, a Dutch anthropologist studying the San Bushmen noted their use of hoodia pills to suppress appetite. In 1963, scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa's national laboratory, began studying hoodia pills. They claimed that lab animals lost weight after they were given hoodia pills .

The South African scientists, working with a British company named Phytopharm, isolated what they believed to be an active ingredient in hoodia pills , a steroidal glycoside, which they named p57. After obtaining a patent in 1995, they licensed p57 to Phytopharm. Phytopharm has spent more than $20 million on hoodia pills research.

Much of the hype about hoodia pills started after 60 Minutes correspondent Leslie Stahl and crew traveled to Africa to try hoodia pills.

They hired a local Bushman to go with them into the desert and track down some hoodia pills. Stahl ate it, describing it as "cucumbery in texture, but not bad." She reported that she lost the desire to eat or drink the entire day. She also said she didn't experience any immediate side effects, such as indigestion or heart palpitations.

One study published in the September 2004 issue of Brain Research found that injections of p57 into the appetite center of rat brains resulted in altered levels of ATP, an energy molecule that may affect hunger.

The animals receiving the P57 injections also ate less than rats that received placebo injections.