March 15, 2003 - Ephedra is an herb that grows naturally worldwide in desert areas. It has been used Chinese herbal medicine for at least a thousand years, and possibly longer in America, where it was known in Utah as Indian or Mormon tea.

What is Ephedra?

Ephedra, or herba ephedra is the common name given to some herbs that are in the botanical family of Ephedraceae. Species that are most commonly known include E. antisyphilitica, E. equisetina, E. geradiana, E. intermedia, E. nevadensis, E. sinica, E. vulgaris.

What is Ephedra properly used for?

Ma Huang is the Chinese name for the twigs or stems of Ephedra sinica, and are clasified in Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine as a warming herb used as a diaphoretic (causing sweating), anti-asthmatic, and diuretic (increases urination), for the treatment of mild colds, coughs, bronchitis, and asthma. There are over one hundred commonly used Chinese herbal medicine formulations that include ma huang. None of them are used as stimulants. Practitioners trained in Chinese herbal medicine have been taught that ma huang is contradicted for patients with high blood pressure, spontaneous sweating, cardiovascular problems, or insomnia.

California and a few other states specifically require licensed acupuncturists to be trained and examined for competency in the practice of Chinese herbal medicine.  California has issued over 7000 licenses to such qualified individuals. No other health care professions have such training and examination requirements.

When is Ephedra Dangerous?

Ephedra came under scrutiny during the past decade, as dietary supplement manufacturers in America and Europe began marketing weight-loss products and "recreational stimulants" that contain the drug ephedrine, the herb ephedra, a concentrated extracts of ephedra, or some combinations of these, along with caffeine and other known stimulants. Numerous complaints have been received from consumers, claiming everything from difficult urination to stroke and heart attack to death. While the validity of some of the claims are questionable, they are supported by the known properties of stimulants in general.

Additionally, ephedrine is a prime ingredient in the manufacture of the illicit street drug, methamphetamines. Barrels of pure ephedrine, used in the manufacture of over-the-counter cold medications, have been stolen and used to produce methampetamines. Methamphetamine is known to cause mental and physical harm to users. This has resulted in tigher regulations of ephedrine; products containing ephedrine are required to be individually packaged (cold remedies come in foil packets now), and the sale of those products is restricted.